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Isaac Gravity February 8th, 2005 7:02 PM

Cont
--------------------
(Location: ???)

“Aaaahhhh!” Brendan yelps as he felt a heavy amount of pressure being made on his chest.

The 13-year-old haggardly sits up in a desperate attempt for air, pretty much throwing off whatever was on him in the process.

“Finally your up Clorox head.” The voice of 13-year-old May Hiromi comments in a playful tone. “You‘re quite a heavy sleeper.”

Brendan stops coughing to give his friend a harsh look that looked kinda weird since he was blushing quite heavily.

The snow colored hair boy quickly came to note that May was dressed rather outdoorsy with her short sleeve red shirt and blue overalls. Hanging from the right pocket of the overall was a long silver chain which complemented the two spiked black wristbands she wore as well as the very loose black collar around her neck.

It was much more punk than Brendan usually seen May dress.

Brendan himself was dressed in his favored headband blue and white soccer uniform and rather than have his gloves as his arm accessory, he only wore white wristbands on both writs.

He also realized that his surroundings were that of his and May’s “spot” Route 103.

Brendan’s flustered staring at the girl made a light tint of pink form onto the usual in-control chestnut-haired girl’s face. May quickly gets up and walks away from him.

Tsunami the Torchic hastily ran up the hill to catch up with May. The chestnut-haired girl couldn’t help but smirk at this.

“What’s the matter bird? Aren’t Pokemon supposed to be the superior beings?”

An X-shaped vein pulsates on the left side of Tsunami’s head before she irately scratch May in the leg for pretty much leaving her behind.

May retaliates by lightly kicking at the chick Pokemon who counters by shooting Ember at her feet. Brendan couldn’t help but laugh whole-heartedly at this sight.

“You two become quite close.” Brendan laughs.

“Yeah Tsu’s close to be getting thrown into the oven!” May grumbles. “Seriously its like the destiny cycle was screwing me over like always when they gave me Tsunami!”

“Destiny Cycle?”

May gave Brendan with a slightly annoyed glance for his question.

“You’re the trainer yet you haven’t heard of that?” The girl scoffs. “Listen, the destiny cycle is like saying that the very first Pokemon you chose to quest with you and any other that you keep in your main party was fated to be with you.”

Brendan gives May a slightly impressed look that she quickly shakes off.

“To be honest its something that annoying little runt told me about…” The chestnut-haired girl then faces the boy on a more serious note. “Oh, your Mom says to get your butt to soccer practice ASAP! So get moving!”

Brendan frowns while staring out into the blue emptiness of the lake.

“Good little boys shouldn’t ignore their Momma’s orders Bleach.” May smirks.

“I told you May my hair is natural!” Brendan replies hastily. “Look… You… you-thanks for… well… you can leave if you want, I‘m not going anywhere.”

May looked a bit surprised not just by Brendan’s outburst but that he indirectly disobeyed a rather scary when angry woman.

May just stood there and stared silently at the kind boy for quite sometime. Brendan didn’t even once look her way.

“Clor-Brendan…” May called out to her friend calmly. “Do you even like playing soccer? I always thought you were too much of a Pokemon junkie to do anything else.”

Brendan pats Tsunami softly on the head while a small smile formed on his face.

“It’s not that I can’t do anything else.” The snow colored hair boy admits. “Soccer just isn’t my thing. Chasing around a dirty ball back and forth is a bigger waste of time than playing video games.”

“What.” May snaps quickly. Brendan obviously didn’t hear her and continued.

“But I graduated from those silly things a long time ago… So that‘s why I think it’s just a stupid waste of energy.”

A loud thwacking sound echoed within the Route when May heavily punches Brendan on the head. The snow colored hair boy spent some time rubbing his new ache but quickly felt a light breeze by his forehead.

Brendan turns a to the fuming May with a: “what did I do?” face while she gripped his headband tightly in her hand.

“What load bull!” May shouts. “You say you graduated from video games but you wanna know what I think?” She challenged. “It‘s not that you graduated from anything you just suck at it!”

Brendan’s eyes widened in shock.

“So, whatever your good at you continue to pursue it with an over smug attitude but anything else’s you have no talent you just shake it off and act as though your too cool for it! Thinking like that shows how pathetic a person you truly are!”

“It’s my opinion it’s not like it’s affecting you one way or the other!” Brendan snaps.

“You’re wrong!” May snaps back.

The two glare at each other harshly for a moment until May was to break their silence.

The chestnut-haired girl’s ocean blue eyes softened with a disappointed expression.

“I like playing video games.” May comments in a low voice. “Just because you want to run away from every little obstacle set for you doesn’t mean you have the right to insult the whole community of fans… I‘m not going to fight with you over something silly like this.”

May turns around and starts walking away from Brendan. “I won’t say a word to your Mom.” The chestnut-haired girl replies coolly. “And I’ll respect your opinion, you better respect mine.”

Tsunami leaves the snow colored hair boy’s side to quickly chase after her partner.

“It’s not like that!” Brendan shouts aloud, forcing May to stop in her place. “My Mom pretty much forced me into the LittleDale soccer group without even wanting to hear my say in the matter… It’s not that I’m a bad player it’s just-”

“We should get going.” May suggests, much to Brendan‘s surprise. “You shouldn’t run from your fears because you seem too thickskulled to ever seem like the give up type.”

“Now you’re mistaking me with you.” Brendan chuckles.

May gives an amused little scoff and continues about her way. However the 13-year-old stopped in her place once again when she heard the boy call out to her.

“What?”

“My headband please…”

A mischievous look formed on May’s face when she took a good look at Brendan’s favored headwear.

“It has your scent… but… I think I’ll keep it!”

The chestnut-haired girl then runs away from the area thanking Brendan for the bizarre gift with Tsunami not too far behind her.

Brendan knew that the girl just wanted him to give chase and who was he to break her expectations.

The two 13-year-old’s and the chick Pokemon run about the area acting as if they were half their age.

They laughed and ran through about until the situation itself was a flash of fading memory…

--------------
(In the water)

‘Warmth…’ The sinking 13-year-old mentally mummers.

A few feet below Brendan a pair of beady yellow eyes flashed with a piercing gleam. A cascade of foaming bubbles shortly replaced that gleam.

--------------
(Above ground)

The foaming bubbles continued to expand its territory from within the lake.

The over mounting amount of pressure from the bizarre properties of the Chameleon Falls and this foreign factor caused everything to just burst and allowed the foaming bubbles to uplift the drowning boy and his two Pokemon back to surface with, of course, an added piggyback by the creator of the bubbles: The ancient rock fish Relicanth.

Prof. Cosmo was quite impressed at the spotting of such a presumed extinct creature. Ringo, Roxx, Aero Adler and even Ivy were just pleased to their friends/guys she needs to get back to her rightful partner were alright.

‘How many lives does this kid have?’ Shelly thinks to herself.

The Aqua Admin was thrust out of her thoughts when Aldo’s hand pushes itself in front of her face and made a clutching noise.

“Hey, don’t go all hulk mode on that.” Kyosuke grins from his spot in the lake close to Relicanth. “That meteorite is one of a kind had to put my life on the line to get it.”

“What! That fragment rightfully belongs to Magma!” Courtney screams from afar. “Swellow-”

Pelipper nails the full-fledged flying-type with Ice Beam that successfully turned it into a block of ice. Courtney irately recalls the frozen Swellow into its ball before it plunges into the ever-expanding lake below.

“No need to glare at me like that.” Kyosuke assures the Aqua’s. “Just take what you want and never show your faces here again. There’s enough pond scum as it is here.”

Aldo really wanted to thrash the wildman for that shot but calms down when Shelly glares at him.

“Fine.” Shelly sighs mock defeated. “Take the Professor as a gift for your cooperation. I hope you’re able to leave here before its too late humans don’t have gills you know…”

The Aqua’s all return their Pokemon into their respective balls. Pelipper dives towards Shelly so she could grab its webbed toes and airlift her back to the path she once came from.

Aldo calls out his Peilpper to the same. Schneider takes one last look at the unconscious Brendan before giving content “hmph” and following the same actions as his allies.

Courtney looks down at Kyosuke with a venomous scowl before recalling her Ninetales to make a dash into the tunnel in hopes of cutting Aqua off.

The Grunts follow her actions all the way.

--------------
(A few hours later)
(Mt. Meteor top floor)

“Finally up.” Kyosuke greets Brendan.

The wildman then drops all of Brendan’s belongings on him and explains the overall situation; emphasizing in great detail how much of a pain it was to get back all of his conscious Pokemon back into their balls.

“Sorry…” The snow colored hair boy mummers dejectedly.

It’s obvious the 13-year-old took note of the flooding water that now plagued the area.

Kyosuke looked at the boy blankly before laughing it all off. “Oh please! Like there was anything one kid could’ve done against top ranking criminals.”

“So I guess that’s the end of Chameleon Falls…” Brendan still murmured. Kyosuke nods. “It’s a pity, but be just be glad that the legend ends with you: The last fighting spirit to overcome the opposition to seek out Chameleon Falls and actually live to tell about the truth behind it… not some made up dreams.”

“Astral Plains.” Prof. Cosmo corrects.

Both Brendan and Kyosuke to look at him.

“Dream is a lesser way to describe when you enter a type of supersensible state without really being dead called astral bodies and visit a realm within your own head called the astral plains.”

Kyosuke shrugs lightly, ruffling Brendan’s hair as he also uses this manner as a way to pick himself up.

“Well today was eventful.” Kyosuke grins. “Even if those guys stop fighting whoever gets the meteorite won’t use it for good things.”

“You’re going after them?” Brendan asked.

“Psh, like I care what happens to the planet. If these guys kill us due to stupidity then so be it… But I suppose that’s why people like you exist.” Kyosuke responds truthfully.

And with that, Kyosuke says his goodbyes and makes his leave. Brendan respectfully watches the man go until he was no longer insight.

‘He gives me too much credit.’ The boy thinks to himself. ‘I have no clue what Magma or Aqua could hope to accomplish with a meteorite fragment but I bet we’ll be finding out not too far in the future…’

------------
Chapter 17- War of the Elementals: The battle of Land and Sea
---------------
(Two months later. Mossdeep City)
(Location: A new Sushi and grill joint named: Fillet King)

“WAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!” Came the voice of Team Aqua’s seafaring Leader Archie.

Archie wasn’t dressed in his usual attire. The man himself wore a cook’s outfit along with an apron with a big red lobster on it that said: “Tartar this!”

In his hands, the bearded man fluttered a fan happily giving his guests a huge toothed grin. “COME ONE WELCOME ALL TO FILLET KING!!! WHERE THE FISH IS GOOD AND THE GRILL IS ALRIGHT! HEY WERE SO POPULAR EVEN OUR CITIES AMAZING GYM LEADERS EAT HERE AT THE ALL YOU CAN EAT BUFFET!

Archie gestures to Mossdeep’s Gym Leader duo: Psychic twins Tate and Liza who were enjoying their deep-dish seafood meal.

“We’re” Tate begins. “On a seafood diet. Literally” Liza finishes as she contently eats more of her shrimp and pasta meal.

The people inside the restaurant clap to their Gym Leaders approval.

The whole joint itself was swarming with Team Aqua members all acting as waiters and cooks.

Since Team Aqua is most supported by Archie’s loving hometown of Mossdeep it was only the wisest move to set camp there. And why not boast your love for the sea by opening a fish joint?

Hey, all large groups need money from somewhere.

“AHH I LOVE THIS WORK!” The hearty Team Aqua Leader exclaims. “Perhaps I should give up the organization business and go into the business field!”

“Um Captain?” Team Aqua Executive Shelly dressed in a secretaries attire whispers to his boss. “I…have bad news concerning the mission we swabbies number 246 and 7 on…”

Archie turns to the Admin harshly.

----------------
(A bit later in Archie’s office)

Archie angrily bangs his fist against his desk. “Cursed Magmas! Does their deceit know no end?”

Archie turns to his puzzled first mate solemnly. “That battle a year ago was before your time…” He begins. “That bloodstained disaster that brought the level of hatred between Magma and Aqua by tenfold!”

Isaac Gravity February 8th, 2005 7:03 PM

(Flashback)
(Archie Narrates)

[Exactly a few years ago, the feuding between our group and Maxie’s reached a boiling point where murder started to arise on both sides. Gang fights on the streets, brawls in any place.]

[This act was unacceptable by both our groups.]

[Just because some reckless newcomers who just wanted to itch for trouble and fights had no real view of either groups goals doesn’t mean that Maxie or I would allow such dishonorable behavior… Then the unthinkable happened.]

A lovely woman with black hair lay dead on the streets as people and an ambulance surround around her.

The Police did there best to push civilians away.

[My dear sweet Ayame…beaten to death in cold blood by my own members…Why? Because she was the wife of Team Magma’s Leader…]

[I couldn’t blame Maxie for feeling a fueling hatred for me…But couldn’t I feel that too? He turned my Ayame! My only family in the entire world against me!]

[Regardless of the situation, from that day forward Magma and Aqua’s bitterness grew into a venomous bloodbath. At one point I believe that both sides forgotten their views and goals and it just became a fight to survive.]

[Then last year… what was supposed to be a noble final battle between groups manifested itself into the worst defeat that Aqua ever had…]

[And it was at the hands of a devil…]

In Aqua’s original base in Lilycove. Screams of death could be heard all over the base.

“Captain! Bzzt! Captain!” Came the desperate cry of Team Aqua Admin Montell. “Montell what is it lad? What is going on! Out there?!” Archie yells at his flunkie with equal desperation.

“Captain for all things holy…ugh…Don’t come out here! We’ll defend you with our very last breaths!”

“Montell as captain I must go down with the ship! I’M coming like it or not!”

“Captain Please-” Montell begs until something else gets his attention. “Wait! Please! This isn’t the final battle we were expecting! AUGGGGGHHHH!!!!

Montell is knocked down by a huge black figure as the color red is splattered onto the screen. Archie was horrified as well as shocked.

The Aqua Leader didn’t have to wait too long to see what was doing all this damage. Breaking down the steel door with a strong ghostly force, Archie saw his crew’s assassin: A girl, about the age of thirteen, who was fully clothed in the Team Magma uniform.

Archie always thought the Team Magma uniform looked stupid in comparison to Aqua’s but in that costume the girl looked just eerie with it on.

Realizing that this little girl had blood, his groups blood smeared all over her, enraged the Aqua Leader to no end.

Maxie you sick coward! Sending a child to do this…this…Bloodwork!” The Team Aqua Leader bellows before he regains his composure in a very disappointed fashion. “…Is your lust for vengeance so deep that you would steal the innocence of one so young?”

The girl gives an innocent little laugh. “So this the man who preaches of false justice.”

Archie looks at the girl puzzled.

“Do you really think the planet can be turned into a living sea? You dream too much.” The girl then gives the man a little smirk. “And there‘s only one place dreamer‘s like you can go when they try to turn tainted dreams into reality.”

Archie grits his teeth and calls out his Feligator.

He knew that fighting a child was wrong, but she was too far-gone, brainwashed by Maxie.

And ontop of that…The look in her cold topaz colored eyes shows she truly did single handily murder his men…and has no sign of remorse…

The girl’s playful facial expressions disperse as she calls out Houndoom. This creature truly showed familiarity to the Aqua Leader.

“t-that Pokemon…” Archie remised.

“Though Maxie may not be here to easily defeat you. I shall fight in his place with the creature he passed onto me.”

“…Passed unto you…What is your relationship to Maxie? What is your name?”

“My name.” The girl responds coldly. “Is Angelique.”

Though the differences were vast. The moment he heard that name Archie knew Ayame’s memory lived on, and always will exist within Maxie…

Ayame always said if she should have a little girl she’d name her Angelique. Archie always teased her saying that that’s kinda expected as well as stereotypical. Ayame never cared; she thought that name had a glow of mysticism in it.

Archie saw it! Ayame’s anguished and betrayed soul glowering down at him at that very moment… As if she was saying: “Are you happy now? Do you suffer slowly like I did when I was murdered! Well, don‘t fear, your journey to hell will be a fast one!”

“Ayame…Wait…This is all some kind of mistake…” Archie weakly mummers suddenly feeling as though his life were being drained from him.

“Your tainted dreams must not exist.” Angelique states. “Cerberus stop them.”

The now named Cerberus the Houndoom nods at his new master and lunges at Feligator with Crunch. Feligator counters with Hydro Pump.

Cerberus turns his lunge into a nosedive as he quickly throws itself to the floor, but his entire back gets badly grazed by the Water.

Feligator doesn’t stop there; it swings its tail in hopes to break the bones of its rival who was already cringing in pain.

Cerberus, despite the aching wound jumps over the tail swing only to get grabbed by its throat by the croc Pokemon with arms and legs.

Giving his fiery foe a toothed snarl, Feligator is ready to finish his foe off when his master commands it.

Archie didn’t have time to say anything though; Cerberus gives his foe a Fire Blast at point blank range.

This causes Feligator to lose his grip on the dark dog Pokemon who quickly sinks his teeth into the Croc Pokemon’s throat.

Feligator backs away giving out a dying cry before it swings its tail slapping Archie hard enough to knock him out the closed window and into the sea below.

Just before Archie plummeted into the sea he adores witnessed Feligator being dragged into its execution room.

(End Flashback)
-------------------------

“So that’s what happened…” Shelly mused as calm as she could.

Archie folded his hands as he went into deep aloud thought. “Even though this planet is mostly composed of water the bulk of it is contaminated and sullied… By drowning these seeds the good seeds will harvest and grow.”
Archie goes into deeper meditation. “But most good seeds will drown with the wicked…This is tough…Is my hopes really a dream?”

Shelly considers her Leader’s words and shrugs.

“No matter the situation sir every grand plan is a double-edged sword that hurts as much as it helps.” The Aqua Admin replies knowingly. “But in the end it’s knowing that the benefits to others that the plan does is what outweighs the negative thinking.”

Archie considers this a moment and laughs. “No wonder why you’re the firstmate! Wahahahahaha!

Shelly sweatdrops. “Aye-aye captain…But shouldn’t we be addressing the troops now?”

“What for?”

“Well,” Shelly sighs. “Aside from the bad news I gave you, we also had great news: Swabbies numbers 103, 206 and 179 have intersected Magma’s plan on the machine they were building.”

Shelly then begins to explain to Archie about their scientist finds. Most interestingly Magma’s plan to use the machine to cause Mt. Chimney to erupt at such an alarming rate that the shockwave of the epicenter will cause an earthquake strong enough to awaken two very powerful sleeping volcanoes buried in the ocean near the Southern Islands and Johto in hopes that will produce a chain reaction which will force other volcanoes to erupt as well.

“Blast!” Archie growls. “Did Maxie even think of the chances his plan could fail and destroy this planet?”

Shelly nods before continuing. “But this is the interesting part Captain… The item required to work the machine is a meteorite found by Prof. Cozmo in Meteor Falls.” The female admin remises. “We intercepted Cozmo and took the meteorite, we also learned that the meteorites polarities have to be in the right synch to work in our favor!”

“Meaning?”

“If we chip the rock according to the way Swabbie number eighty drew this picture.”

Shelly quickly shows Archie the picture. “We can force the lunar polarities to work in our favor and make Mt. Chimney sink. That would make those sleeping volcanoes act in a different manner.”

Turning the whole land into a ocean! Schneider is a genius!” Archie happily announced. “Come my dear! We have work ahead of us!”

Shelly nods as they both rush to elevator and the basement floor. As the elevator headed to its destination Archie couldn’t help but have thoughts run through his head.

‘Maxie…Today you and your devil child will learn the true meaning of justice…’

-----------------------
(Team Magma base)

“My fellow Magma’s” The Team Magma Leader Maxie voice boomed from the video recording. “After a great amount of research and toiling we are finally ready to launch the final Armageddon against all those who stand in our path and finally unleash the road to true justice.”

Maxie closed his eyes as he continued speaking. “Unfortunately, I cannot join you in this fray. As fate called it I have very important business to attend to elsewhere... But I have full faith and belief in all of your abilities!”

The Team Magma Leader clenches his fist in a determined manner as he finished his speech. “Royce and Amanda will lead you all in this epic climax! Team Magma shall raise the hope of many ONCE AND FOR ALL!!!

All The Magma Grunts and Admin’s all cheer for their victorious Leader. Magma Executive Amanda takes a nearby microphone and egged on the video recordings words.

“We of Team Magma are soldiers of Gaia trying to expand the land for the good of all! Remember that! We fight with purity and grace of the land itself Nothing shall limit us! No false powers are needed to bolster our already united strength!”

Amanda hands the microphone over to Royce who adds his words of movement. “The last chapter of the clash of Land and Sea begins! We shall hurry to Mt. Chimney and recover what Aqua is trying to steal from us! ONWARD TO VICTORY!

ONWARD!!!” The Magma group agrees as they run to the doors.

-----------------------
(Aqua base)

Archie stood on podium as he addressed his men.

“Fellow Aqua’s!” He began. “We have been forced back by those land loving Magma’s for long enough! The time to strike is now! We will use Magma’s own reckless, half-baked plan against them and save this planet and all those who are drowning within all the pollution and destruction that we, humans have so unmercifully caused!”

Archie finishes his speech in the same manner that Maxie finishes his. “Team Aqua shall never sink for we know how to swim! We can never drown for we know how to scuba-dive! We will never allow Magma to deceive us again…because this time…” The Aqua Leader growls. “…It’s personal…Now onward! This will be the last time we shall walk on land so get used to it!

The Team Aqua members all cheer as they rush out for combat. Archie took his sweet time walking out the door.

‘Ayame…I swear to you that this was all a misunderstanding…’ The man mentally rambled. ‘But when you launched that demon onto my people you cut all ties we once shared…Team Magma…No, Maxie will go down for good! I swear it.’

End Chapter 17
-----------------------------------------
(Notes)

According the Webster’s college dictionary Astral bodies: a supersensible substance believed to pervade all space and to form a second body belonging to each individual through life and surviving death.

From what I heard, these forms are believed to be responsible for your dreams that take place in a place called the astral plains. That’s why they say that when you die in your dreams you die for real. But usually in Nightmares when you do become in mortal danger you’re usually thrusted back into reality before you do get hurt. Sometimes most aren’t as lucky as they show in horror/Fantasy movies/shows like Charmed (when it was actually a good series)


Next: Chapter 18- War of The Elementals: Tainted snow

Isaac Gravity February 18th, 2005 5:57 PM

Disclaimer- I don’t own Pokemon or anything else.
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(9AM: LittleRoot Town)

“Mrs. Hiromi!” 8-year-old Max calls out to May’s mother.

Mrs. Hiromi stops her gardening to turn to the young boy with a warm smile. “Good morning Max. Usually I’d expect children to be watching Saturday morning cartoons at this hour.”

“Oh please! Cartoons are a waste of time!” Max scoffs. “I’ve got way more pressing matters to attend to.”

“Didn’t know you were into video games.” Mrs. Hiromi chuckles, just noticing the visors and game controller. “You follow May more than you admit.”

“This isn’t a game!” Max states proudly. “This is Pokemon Island Online! A trainer simulation!”

“Ok, ok I’m sorry Max I couldn’t help but tease.” The woman cheerfully comments. “Anyway that’s a stylish little object. It’s good to see your parents are sending you gifts while they’re away.”

“Err… actually Ma’am…” Max admits. “I wanted you to help me with this level…”

Mrs. Hiromi’s eyes widened for a moment before smiling off the boy’s words.

“Please!” The boy pleads. “Mrs. Birch refuses to help me and is forcing Prof. Birch to do the same. You’re the only other adult I know that’s cool enough to handle the Battle Tower!”

Mrs. Hiromi considered it for a moment. She never really minded when May would spend hours on one of her game consoles. Heck, sometimes she’s secretly watched the girl play.

Not to mention actually take a shot herself whenever May stepped out.

“Well, it is a Pokemon trainer simulation…” Mrs. Hiromi considers.

“Please! Pleaaaaassssse!”

Mrs. Hiromi puts down her gardening tools and rolls up her sleeves. “Well then, I suppose I could at most see what kind of Pokemon you use and probably throw a pointer in proper balance.”

“Really!” Max asked ecstatically. “YOU’RE THE BEST!”

“But of course.”
--------
(Verdanturf Town)
(Wally’s Aunt and Uncle’s)

Wally grumbles in the kitchen as he washed a lot of dishes. He wore a white apron to protect his clothes from getting dirty and yellow gloves to avoid getting dishpan hands.

“I heard that.” Wanda calls to the 11-year-old in a singsong voice from the other room. Wanda was reading a complex book on Human Biology while keeping the T.V on the Discovery Channel.

“You knew the deal Wally,” The college student reminds. “You promised to wash all the dishes if I let you go out with your friends. And you were so supposed to do that BEFORE you left. It’s not my fault you tried to weasel your way out it.”

“I didn‘t think you meant it at this moment.” Wally whines.

“Why don‘t you just take Mia‘s example and just do your chores.” Wanda slyly counters.

“Then if Mia means so much to you just get her to do it! She doesn‘t do anything else aside from moping about!” The 11-year-old parries.

“Wally, believe me, I don‘t think it‘s viably fair to even be jealous of someone like Mia.” Wanda sighs. “If anything I feel nothing but guilt for the burden a child so fragile and young has to endure…”

Wally didn’t say anything after that comment but Wanda decides to further invest in the situation.

“Did you know Mia has no friends? The only person who she ever felt she could be herself around is hanging on by a thread in the guest room! I don’t think I could every envy who she is Wally… I pity her way too much…”

Wally continued to wash the dishes in utter silence. The words “Mia…” were the only he murmured with guilty in a tone above a whisper.
------------
(Mt. Chimney)

“Cursed Sea Rat!” A Team Magma Grunt roars as he throws a heavy punch an Aqua Grunt who stood in his path to the machine and the meteorite.

The Team Aqua Grunt wipes the blood from his lower lips and he breaks into a frenzy of ballistic rage. “Crusted piece of Whailmer barnacle!” He spat as he lunges and pins the man.

Before you knew it a brawl broke out between the three Magma’s and Aqua’s that fought for control of the grand plan.

Punches, Kicks, insult and slaps were thrown about on both sides. Many, like Nurse Joy would be glad to know that they aren’t using Pokemon in this personal spat. After a while Team Magma started to gain the upper hand. The Aqua’s were becoming dazed and confounded.

“Ha! You’d think for guys who spent their life at sea they’d put up a better fight.” Team Magma Grunt Sandra mocks her K.O.ed foe. “I hear that!” Team Magma Grunt Joe agrees before he and the other Grunt interestingly enough named what’s-his-face (“What” to his friends) hear Sandra’s horrified screams.

Turning to see what’s wrong with their teammate, the duo ends up gapping at the sight: A huge rather muscular fellow towered over them. Holding up Sandra by the back of her neck.

The man himself was dressed as though he’s been out to sea often. Standing next to him was his two loyal Pokemon: Loudred and Blastoise, both Pokemon were abnormally muscular for there species and by the fierce looks and scars on them they’ve seen many fierce battles.

So this is the infamous Team Magma eh?” The man boomed. “You’re all a bigger bunch of flabby weaklings than I thought…how can such pipsqueaks hope to beat Aqua? Wahahahahaha!

“SHUT YOUR FACE AND LET ME GO!!” Sandra screams at the man. The huge man simply does what’s he’s ordered and quickly lets the female Magma grunt hit the ground with a loud “Thud.”

I didn’t realize you were a lady for a second.” The man admits. “I, the great Rykyu Gatsura am so used to her such effeminate screams from my foes I lost track of them all!

The Aqua’s quickly took note to this man’s name.

“d-Did you say Ryukyu? THE legendary fisherman and treasure hunter: Ryukyu Gatsura of the well known ship Gatsura?” A badly beaten Aqua Grunt timidly asked as one of his open eyes tinkled.

Ryukyu nods. “Wahahahaha! So my reputation precedes me I see! As does yours Team Aqua: The noble warriors of the sea! I heard of your amazing endeavors and exploits and hoped to join your ranks.

The Magma’s heard of this guy if he joins Aqua at this moment they were screwed…

The Aqua Grunt was dumbfounded by this greats request. He made it so simple too. One Aqua Grunt named Jerry spoke for his team. “Uh, s-sure but you have to take it up with our boss…”

“Y-yeah.” Another Aqua Grunt named Hoop agreed. “It’s not our call…”

I see…” The Legendary sea captain mused. “Then I shall simply wait! But in the meantime I shall support you!” Ryukyu then gives the Magma Grunts a dark look. “And I know exactly how…

“Well, were boned.” What’s-his-face mumbles. His group nods.

Within a matter of seconds the Legendary Captain wiped the floor with the two male Grunts and easily eradicated Sandra in a quick one-sided Pokemon battle. The Aqua Grunts then tied her and the two unconsciousness and badly beaten Magma’s to a nearby giant stalagmite.

“You Aqua’s talk big but this is only Round 1!” Sandra threats. “Team Magma WILL rescue us! AND WILL DEFENATLY expand the land for the benefit of both Pokemon and Humans!”

Ryukyu snorts at the female Grunt. “Brainwashed I see…You are wrong little girl…

“LITTLE GIRL! I’M EIGHTEEN!” Sandra snarls at the man. Ryukyu shakes his head.

In the world of the sea you are just a child…You don’t understand the importance of the dawn of this new era…A land free of pollution and machines! Free of technology that makes man lazy and complacent…The Great Sea must come to be! And let all the apparitions of mans destruction drown in a cesspool of red…before the final purification!

-------------
Chapter 18- War of The Elementals: Tainted snow
----------
(Mauville City)

Standing by the place where it all fell apart, 10-year-old Mia Stone contemplates deeply on life thus far.

Despite her spending practically months in one location, quite a bit has fallen upon her… Not to say any of it is any good to her…

“Oh! Your that girl who’s been living with Wally!” The familiar voice of Daisuke called out to Mia from behind.

The 10-year-old dully turned around to see just who she expected: Daisuke, however; along with him were two girls also in the same troop outfit uniform.

The girl to the left of the 11-year-old Boy Scout had short black hair with deep crimson streaks highlighted into them. Mia was starting to think the whole highlighting the hair thing was some kind of fad that girls and even most boys are crazily getting into.

The girl to Daisuke’s right had long red hair that she kept in a tight ponytail. Her hair seemed to be sparkling with what seemed to be glitter sprinkled about it… Though her hair looked quite pretty, Mia shuddered to think how long it might take the girl to wash out the glitter when she’s no longer interested in the fashion.

“Yes, I am she.” Mia politely replies. “But Wally can’t come out to play right now, he’s been skipping out on his chores and Wanda-san is quite upset about that.”

“Aww man…” Mia heard the trio mummer dejectedly. The 10-year-old mutters, “I’m sorry” while turning back to lean on the railing and stare at the lake in deep thought.
The 10-year-old didn’t have to look at the trio of 11-year-old’s to realize they were still standing there. Mia turns to the scouts at shoulders length to give them an icy stare.

In all honesty Mia’s always wanted to do something like that since May made that rather intimidating look appear rather cool.

While Daisuke was oblivious to it, the two girls noticed Mia’s glare but shrugged it off. The girl with the red hair frowns a bit but chooses to stand her ground and talk.

“No need to look at us like that.” The girl comments. “Were sorry if we seem rude ourselves but Wally’s told us a bit about you and I’m just surprised to see you out here by yourself.”

Mia frowns slightly after hearing that. “Why are you even wasting your time with me? Your friends of Wally right? Wally and I aren’t friends only friends of a similar friend.”

“Well, yeah considering how you talk to each other I’d figure so.” Daisuke agrees.

“Shut-up!” The girl with black hair screams at the boy.

“You’re only saying that because you never witnessed how she would act all high and mighty and stuff around us with her knowledge of Pokemon and stuff.”

“So the hell what!” The girl with black hair shouts. “You act like a cocky dork every passing minute!”

“Well I don’t hold my nose above the air and act all prissy like how you girls do!”

“Boy, the way you gesture makes me question you sometimes!”

“Both of you cut it out!” The girl with red hair snaps at the two.

The two were confused why until they heard the feint sniffling that came from Mia.
-----------
(10 minutes later)

“Feeling better?” The girl with red hair asked.

Mia nods silently still a bit bitter about the fact she accepted someone’s pity.

The girl with the red hair put a comforting hand on Mia’s shoulder. “I’m the youngest out of three kids in my family so I know how much of a pain it is to be constantly treated like a do nothing baby.” The girl admits. “But you’re wrong about Wally, he‘s a good guy…”

“That’s true. Wally just a really responsible guy and could go overboard at times with things.” The girl with the short black hair responds calmly.

“And he can be quite cute too.” The girl with red hair giggles.

“Like when he gets all loud and whiny.” The girl with black hair agrees.

“Or just his boyish charm.”

Daisuke rolls his eyes at the whole girl talk. “Whatever, I’m waaaay cooler than Wally. He’s just the center of attention because girls think he’s cute.”

“Or,” The black haired girl smirks. “Because within his two month stay in scouts he earned more badges than you in an entire year.”

“Wally was in scouts?” Mia asked the red haired girl quizzically. The girl nods.

“My name is Jasmine by the way.” The red haired girl introduces before going any further.

“And I’m Jenna.” The black haired girl adds. “You already know Daisuke…”

“Well who can forget a legend?” Daisuke grins. “Yeah legendary sucker.” Jenna scoffs.

“ANYWAY!” Jasmine lifts her voice. “When Wally first came to Verdanturf he was actually pretty quiet. Only playing with his Ralts. A lot of the girls in class thought that whole quiet thing made him vulnerable but…”

“To the point!” The other two scouts growl.

“Right!” Jasmine sweatdrops. “Wally was in our troop for a short while but he proved to be a pretty open guy when you got to know him. He was practically flawless in archery but he had to quit before our troop could sign him into the regional scout meet.”

“He told us his parents back in Petalburg went livid when they found out he was in scouts and immediately had him quit.” Daisuke informs. “It was too bad… he was my eternal rival…”

Jenna looks at Daisuke and frowns.

‘How it be called a rivalry when the guy you compete against completely outdoes you altogether?’ The girl thinks to herself.

Jasmine smiles a bit understanding for Mia. “Since you guys spent so much time together Wally must’ve told you he bad had it back in his hometown. Every time he stepped outside he was ridiculed or beat-up by the local kids. He didn’t have any friends… He said that May girl pretty much changed his life.”

“n-No, he never tells me much about himself...” Mia admits guiltily since she never really paid the boy too much mind to begin with.

“Hm, You should try to understand where he’s coming from more.” Jasmine suggests. “He probably just finds you annoying in some sense since you’re kinda like him in most ways.”

“Wally-kun…” Mia mummers with guilt. “I never knew these about him… I never even bothered to try to understand him… I really am what Daisuke-kun described me as…”

Both Jenna and Jasmine give the nervous Daisuke a passive look. Wanting to take the heat off himself, Daisuke had a crafty plan.

“Say, Mia since you ventured all the way out here why don’t we all go to Route 110 and train our Pokemon together? That sounds like fun right?”

“You were waiting for Wally-kun. I’ll go get him.”

“n-No its alright really!” Daisuke assures. “Jasmine‘s the one who likes him anyway! We could go while she and Jenna waits!”

“And miss you get your butt whopped by newcomer? ‘Cha right.” Jenna grasps her camcorder readily.

“And I so don’t like him like that!” Jasmine shouts.

Both girls now grab Mia by separate arms and drag her off to Route 110 Daisuke has no choice but to follow.
-------------
(Mt. Chimney)

Wahahahahaha!” Came the bellowing voice of the legendary sea captain Ryukyu Gatsura. “So the great Archie, we meet at last!” Archie gratefully shakes Gatsura’s hands. “I appreciate the support of any who wish to help Team Aqua in our dreams of expanding the planets water rate.”

“Psh, yeah like that’s ever going to happen” The tied down Team Magma Grunt Sandra scoffs. “Do you realize how unorthodox that plan is!? Not to mention that you stole it from my group! What ever happened to originality People!?”

Archie and his group ignore the fuming Magma and turn their attention to the machine and Swabbie#80: Team Aqua Grunt and genius Schneider.

“Ok sir” Schneider confirms. “The meteorite is broken down according to calculations…Now all I have to do is fix the frequency ratio of the machine…”

“Good job as always Schneider. Now… commence the operation!” Archie orders. With a nod Schneider inserts the meteorite into the apocalyptic machine and starts it.

At first, nothing happened but over a period of an hour an eerie whistle overtakes the area until it becomes a wispy humming noise. As a result of this the lava within the dormant volcano began to burble steadily until the rate became more alarming quick.

‘It begins.’ Archie thought to himself victoriously ‘Ayame, Maxie you lose! Your dreams will soon wash away with all the tainted machineries of man!’

“By Entei were too late!” Magma Executive Amanda curses as she along with a dozen of Magma’s best female battlers ran up to the top of the mountain.

Archie turns to the 22-year-old woman with a smug expression. “You’re too late little lady…Team Aqua’s plan is going according to plan!” Archie then gives the woman a menacing look. “I’m not surprised. Maxie again sends someone to do his dirty work. The bloody coward can‘t face me?”

Amanda literally went livid when she heard that fool of a man say those things. “Unlike you and your band of round about scallywags Maxie doesn’t need to be there to constantly act as our brains…We have them! That’s a must in the job description.”

“Oh,” Amanda adds. “By the way. It was so noble of you to launch a sneak attack on our base and all the areas that are under our Protection! That forced our troops to be at the small number its at now!”

“Ha! Protection?!” Archie scoffs. “More like leeching what you wanted from good people!”

Before Amanda could say anything the wispy humming sound from the machine stopped. Causing everyone to stop in their place and think.

Little did they know that inside the volcano the lava began to burble at an even more alarming rate to the point it was rising.

What the two rival groups could is the meteorite beginning to pulsate and glow before the machine making a loud screeching sound so piercing that it shattered the glass protecting the meteorite and shattered a layer of the hard meteorite causing it to be smaller in size for either groups plan to work.

This was followed by a loud heavy tremor that went on for a few seconds, luckily the ground didn’t split apart.

“That…can’t be good.” The now untied Sandra mused. “sc-Schneider” Archie nervously squeaked.

Schneider rather timidly examines the machine from a safe distance. Gaining a little courage the man walks up to it and looks at it rather puzzled.

Well?” Gatsura boomed. “Is it still good?

Schneider scratches the back of his head sheepishly. “Actually this meteorite is an amazing piece of work. I’d love to examine it when our plans come to be.”

“So Aqua wins?” A random Aqua Grunt asked cheerfully. Schneider said nothing as he adjusted the machines calibrations. “No, with this adjustment now we’ll-”

“OH NO YOU DON’T!” Amanda screams as she throws a Pokeball containing a Mightyena at Schneider. “Mightyena! Stop that man at all cost! Team Magma still has a chance!!!”

“C-Captain!” Schneider yelps. “I’m a thinker not a fighter!”

Hold on youngling!” Gatsura roars. “Help is on the way!

At that moment five female Magma Grunt all stood in the legendary sea captains path.

“Laura, Megan! Go get Joe and What to medical attention quickly! Ran, Trixy, Lulu, Sandra, and Betty! Work as a group and take that legend down!” Amanda orders. “I heard of him…And I know his weak point! Use his bulkiness against him! Douse him in flames!

“Right!” All seven girls comply as they made their moves. The remaining Grunts all run towards the Aqua’s, Pokeball thrown. Leaving Amanda to stare down the irritated Team Aqua Leader himself.

“You are beginning to annoy me woman…” Archie growls venomously at the Magma Executive who smirks. “Team Magma is all about unity. It is a family owned organization after all.”

“I had a family too…before Maxie destroyed it.”

“Ayame left you in your bitterness because of how pitiful a person you were! You were too wrapped up in your own self-absorbed whims to care for her…Maxie is different from you and he always will be. It’s funny how you act out of vengeance against one whose only crime was being in love with her…it was your murderous hate that caused her death…”
Amanda gave Archie a very hardened look. “And you couldn’t even stay dead to atone. You had to spite her and rise back from whatever dead sea the Little One buried you.”

SILENCE!” Archie fumed. “Those days are over! Ayame has no ties to me! She joined Magma and died as one!” Archie then throws his Pokeball.

Amanda was really infuriated now. “No! She died an innocent bystander who was struck down by her own blood! And I‘ll never forgive that!”

Amanda threw her Pokeball and the claimed final battle of Team Magma and Team Aqua began.

Isaac Gravity February 18th, 2005 6:11 PM

Cont
--------------------
(Verdanturf Town)

Wally continued to disdainfully do the dishes. While Wanda continued to hit the books.

When the 19-year-old was going to read some more pages. A news flash came on the T.V.

“We interrupt your regularly scheduled program for an important announcement!” The news guy on the T.V. reports.

“It has to be important to interrupt a program on the Discovery Channel.” Wanda quizzically mutters before calling Wally. “Hey Wally, get your lazy butt in here!”

“What? Want me to give you a foot massage while I’m here.” The 11-year-old sarcastically growled.

“Watch closely and learn.” Wanda hushes her cousin as she points to the News bulletin that read: “Hoenn under siege!”

“That’s right people,” The reporter continues. “Hoenn is under siege! As Teams Magma and Aqua battle it out in the cities of Lilycove, Fortree and Rustboro for domination. We’ll now turn to Gabby whose reporting from Lilycove. Gabby.”

“Yes, hello Hoenn this is Gabby speaking and I’m in the middle of what used to a peaceful Sake drinking contest turned into a drunken brawl by not Team Aqua or Magma but the civilians themselves!”

Gabby sidesteps a drunken person who attempted to tackle her. Kicking the man once in the ribs the famous news reporter continues her scoop. “More and more civilians seem to be getting involved in the fray shouting: Hail Magma! Or Hail Aqua! Speaking with me now is a local from the Team Magma inspired gang The Ground. Tell me sir what are your thoughts on this whole matter?”

The member of the Ground puffed his chest proudly as he spoke. “Well I’ll tell you what I feel Slappy!”

“Gabby”

“Scrappy. Anyway.” The gang member continued. “This is the high time we’ve been waiting for! Team Magma is gonna take over and trash those wusses at Aqua once and for all!!”

“Interesting thoughts.” Gabby mused. “But may I ask? What do you have against Aqua?” The Ground member considered this before answering simply. “Water Pokemon suck!”

That comment roused the attention of a lot of Aqua supporters and members of the Team Aqua support gang The Sea.

“Your wussy gang sucks!” One member of The Sea growls.

The Ground member laughs it off as he turns his back looking like he was going to walk away only to quickly turn around and crack the guy in the jaw. An old woman throws a vase at The Ground member knocking him out cold.

Now the old woman along with some members of The Sea start stomping him. Gabby simply kicks the guy once too for messing with her name then steps away and turns back to the camera.

“Ahem.” Gabby clears her throat. “Well, that was interesting words from an angry fellow… Back to you Stef.”

Stef the anchorman sweatdrops. “Err Thanks Gabby.” The man then addresses the viewers in a very serious tone. “Ladies and Gentlemen please lock yourselves in your homes and-WHOA!

A light tremor shakes the area. Stef braces himself for the moment and the shaking stops. He then gets handed a piece of paper. “Ladies and gentlemen this is an urgent message to all those near Mt. Chimney! An evacuation notice has been made due to the fact that Grandpa SnowTops has miraculously become active and by the risks it could blow its top at any moment! Is this the Armageddon for Good sweet mother Hoenn? Is this the dark rhapsody known as Latios twist? Oh Lorddy Were doomed! DOOMED I TELLS YA! GAME OVER MAN! GAME OVER!!!

Stef then goes nuts and runs up to the screen. “HERE THAT GRANDMA? OLD SONNY BOY IS COMING TO VISIT!! WHY ARE YOU PEOPLE STILL WATCHING THIS THIS IS OUR LAST MOMENTS ALIVE! YOU SHOULD BE LOOTING! AND SPILLING YOUR GUTS OUT TO YOUR LOVE AN-

The screen was cut off by static but a few shots of Security Guards holding down Stef could be seen before a full image of a Stef smiling next to a Pikachu who held up a sign saying: “Experiencing technical difficulties.”

“This is serious…” Wally replies nervously.

“Hmm…I don’t ever remember a rhapsody named “Latios twist.”” Wanda mused while scratching her chin in deep thought.

Wally turns to his cousin a little puzzled due to her lack of fret on the matter. Wanda turns to the green haired 11-year-old with a knowing look. “Don’t be nervous. Magma won’t let any harm fall upon Verdanturf or Mauville. So we’re all safe”

“You mean you side with Magma!” The 11-year-old yells at his cousin in shock.

“Magma only wants to expand the land a bit.” Wanda answers with a shrug. “I think what they’re trying to do is more beneficial for others like you than drowning everything like Team Aqua wants to.”

“I don’t get what you mean…” Wally mumbles. “I thought both groups are wrong…”

Wanda turns off the T.V. as she closes her eyes to speak. “In actions yes. But as far as long-term goals… if I had to choose, I’d choose Magma. I don’t too much like the idea of Verdanturf becoming a small Island. The excess water may kill the plants and who knows what the breeze will bring across an ocean.”

“It’s good to see that someone also holds these beliefs.” A Magma Grunt solemnly spoke as he entered the house. “Magma!” Wally hissed as he ran to grab the closest item, which was a broom and use as a weapon and protect Wanda. “Who do you think you are? Breaking into other people’s homes unannounced? Think your God?”

“Relax kid,” The Magma Grunt snorts unimpressed at the 11-year-old in an apron. “Were not here to fight were just bringing in this guy that says he knows you.”

“Liar!”

As Wally was about to make a futile attack on the man, two other Magma Grunts carefully walk inside the household carrying with them a very bruised up Karate Man. This got the coolheaded until now Wanda’s attention.

TONY!!!” The 19-year-old college student screamed horrified at this familiar faces state. “Quick! Get him inside here now!” She orders.

----------------
(Sometime later…)

“So Wanda…” Wally quizzically asked his older cousin. “Who is this guy?”

“You mean I never told you!” Wanda gasped, feeling a bit stupid. “Tony is my Boyfriend. Y’know, the same guy I ALWAYS brag about!”

“Oh him…”

Wanda giggles a bit before turning to the Magma’s who were also a bit wounded. “Before I get to your wounds tell me…What’s going on out there?”

The Leader of the group of Grunts named Fred throbbed his icepack on his head.

“Not a good day to be a Magma…” He mummers. “We didn’t realize Aqua had Rustboro under their fingers. This strong chick that uses Rock-Type Pokemon jumped a guy spotted us and we fled to the cave. We didn’t realize it was still blocked. We saw some Aqua loyalist beating this guy down. He put up a good fight but how long can you last in a ten on one? We jumped in I used my Poochyena to use Rock Smash on the area we grabbed this Tony guy who kept saying he won’t die unless in its in his loves arms and in his daze he gave us the directions to here.”

Fred looks at his Pokeball and smirks as if to curse his fate. “I’m glad I earned a few badges before I went down this path…”

Wally scowls at the man. “Hmph. Garbage! If that’s so why throw your life away on nonsense like this!?”

“Wally!” Wanda screams at the boy.

Wally ignores his cousin as he angrily clenched his fist. “NO! I’m not sorry! Why would he want to make himself a wanted criminal and not expect this treatment? Do you think your some kind of superhero or untouchable bank-robber when you go around doing the things you do? Does that make you feel superior over others?”

Fred look at Wally slightly amused before he talked again. “Heh, you’re a sickly guy aren’t ya?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Well let me ask you?: Were you always this strong-principled?”

Wally froze in his place when hearing that.

“You were a weak, sickly, frail kid once. Never could go out and play. Never could make any friends because of that. Heh I bet the lovely bliss of Verdanturf tanned your skin.”

“Sh-shut-up!” Wally yelled at the man. “What do you know!”

“I know that Verdanturf’s tasty air worked the same wonders for me…” Fred grins eerily. “I felt a new courage building within me; like I could tackle anything. I was like everyone else now. Now I could go out and prove it! That’s what you yearn to do too? Isn’t it?

Wally steps back a bit nervously as the man continues his words.

“My drive was my love for the town that saved me… I wanted every grassy, beau tic area to be just like Verdan’s that’s why I fight. My drive is to make Verdanturf Town’s around the world…Maxie told me if our plans work it’s very possible…”

Fred then turns to Wally knowingly. “I see it…The same lust for power…but your drive feels different from mine. Is it just for selfish reasons? Or is there someone you want to prove yourself to? If it’s the first one like I’m guessing then your future is no better than mine…That’s just the words of one sickly dude to another.”

Wally backed away from the Grunts twisted words of wisdom. He was going to become like him? Or even worse…

“That couldn’t be” the 11-year-old mentally screams. “He was lying!”

Pulling off his apron and gloves, Wally just quickly ran out the house as fast as he could, anywhere was fine as long as he could escape that lunatic!

Wanda wanted to stop him but deep down she felt it wise to just let him be for a change.

----------
(Route 117)

The blurred vision due to his forming tears veiled Wally’s vision, causing him to trip and falls to the ground quite heavily.

What the boy didn’t realize or care to realize was that he was breathing very heavily and was coughing a bit.

‘I letting his words sting me so much!?’ The 11-year-old thinks to himself through haggard breaths. ‘I know it isn’t true! I know the difference between right and wrong! It’s not right! Why am I such a baby?’

Walking through the Route Wally noticed the odd behavior of some of the wild Pokemon in the area. It wasn’t until the skies grayed and a familiar powdery substance that fluttered out from it was when the 11-year-old took note of what went on.

“Snow? In August?” Wally muttered quizzically. The 11-year-old then attempts to catch a snowflake with his tongue, which was his mistake. “Aw man sick! This isn‘t snow… Cough! It doesn‘t matter! I can still meet up with the guys.”

Running as fast as he can the slowly but surely becoming sick again 11-year-old made it to Mauville only to be knocked to the forming ashes ground by Two Magma grunts who blocked the way.

“Sorry kid, roads closed.” The Magma on the right starts. “You came from Verdanturf?” The other Grunt continues. “I say you go to your home now for your own health.”

“I don’t care! My friends are over there! I-”

The Grunt on the left grabs Wally by his shirt and gives him a menacing glare. “Listen brat get lost or I’ll make you go. And Mommy won’t be there to help you when I’m through with you.”

It was at this moment Ralts pops out of his Pokeball ready to fight for his friend. Both Magma Grunts try hardest to not burst out laughing.

“Hey isn’t that that psycho-type Pokemon Rick?” The Magma on the right laughs.

“It’s psychic George.” The Magma on the left corrects before continuing. “And yea that lil runt is useless against our Poochyena.”

The Grunt on the left named Bob tosses Wally to the ground where Ralts hastily ran over to him.

The 11-year-old was too busy coughing and gasping for air to notice what happened, but he did flash the men harsh.

The Grunts both smirk to each other before pulling out their Pokeballs. Before either could launch their Pokemon they were both knocked to the ground flat cold due to a squeezing on their pressure points from one and only Steven Stone.

“They brag that they are environmentally correct yet here they are picking on children…” The 19-year-old Hoenn Champ mummers.

May’s now fully healed visually challenged Grass-type Pokemon with the Blackglasses: Leaf the Shroomish, shook a bit agreeing with the words.

Steven then turns blankly to Wally who sat up to face the 19-year-old while gritting his teeth. “Just can’t keep your nose out of trouble can you gaki?”

Wally growls at him while shaking with rage.

“Ah well, can’t expect too much from someone like you. Nice weather we’re having though. Nice and singed…”

Wally had it. Tears ran loosely down the boy’s cheeks as he found his energy and ran at Steven attempt to throw a punch at him. Steven easily dodges the clumsy attack and let Wally fall to his face.

The 11-year-old coughs a bit but doesn’t let up. He again tries to attack the 19-year-old.

Cough! I didn’t need your help! I was fine!” The 11-year-old managed to blurt out in-between sobs. Steven now confused stood in his place and allowed the petite Green haired boy to hit him with his weak punches.

COUGH! I…was…fine! By myself! I could’ve handled them! -Cough! Cough!!- WHY DOES EVERYONE TREAT ME LIKE WEAKLING?!?”

Wally suddenly has a lapse of strength and falls to his knees coughing very heavily. It didn’t help that the once flurry of ash quickened into a snowstorm of ash.

‘This is not good! Mt. Chimney is in a worse state than I thought.’ Steven mentally frets. He then gives a bit of an annoyed sigh in Wally’s direction. “And what brings such a sickly guy like you out in this condition?”

Wally ignores Steven and manages to pick himself up. Attempting to drag himself to Route 110. Steven grabs the boy by his arms.

“Aren’t you listening?” Steven snaps at the boy. “You’re in no condition to be out here!”

“I know that! No one should!” Wally snaps back. “I …… have to… get m…Mia…my friends out of Route… 110...” The boy chokes out, breathing quite heavily.

“Wally listen, this air is not healthy for you at all your condition can worsen if you don‘t get to safety soon... I know you like my sister but she’s a lot more well off than you are.”

No response but Wally remains still.

Steven hands the boy an air filter mask “While its not as bad right now take this filter mask and get to the Pokemon Center. Though a hospital for Pokemon Nurse Joy is also obliged and willing to help residents from Verdanturf who are suffering. I’ll find my sister and your friends. Take care of yourself. Hiromi’s Pokemon will go with you.”

Wally glares at Steven distrusting. Steven’s face becomes very stern. “ I am not deceiving you. Especially when my younger sister is at stake! Now, please take the filter and go! Your Ralts is a Psychic-type so I’m pretty sure it can create a temporary barrier to shield you!”

“But…” Wally downcasts his eyes to the ground sadly. “I can’t always just run to others to help…I hate feeling weak…”

Steven knelt down and continued his no-nonsense look. “Life is blind. True strength isn’t simply obtained by acting cool and strong. It’s earned!”

Before Wally could argue this he felt lightheaded.

Feeling as though a boulder just knocked the wind out of him, thrusting him into the state of unconsciousness. Steven picks up the boy and gives an exasperated expression.

“Stubborn little punk.” The 19-year-old mutters. “Now I have to find my sister AND bring him to a hospital.”

The Hoenn Champion then looks over to Ralts and Leaf who were ok due to the barrier that Ralts created.

‘So he isn’t as inept as a Trainer as I thought…’ He mentally grins before addressing the two Pokemon. “Look, I know this is not my call but can you two do this much for me make sure that this stubborn little gaki here doesn’t do something in the hospital?”

Both Pokemon especially the very worried Ralts agreed. Steven said what he said for Ralts’ own good. He personally doesn’t think the kid has a chance after all this air he breathed in.

“ONII-CHAN!” Came the familiar voice of Mia.

Mia rushed to the area with the Campers: Daisuke, Jenna and Jasmine.
----------

Isaac Gravity February 18th, 2005 6:27 PM

Cont (2)
-----------------------
(Mt. Chimney)

The fight between Magma and Aqua raged on. Neither side looked like it was gaining the upper hand. Even the Legendary Captain Ryukyu Gatsura and his Pokemon Loudred and Blastoise were having problems against five very skilled Magma Trainers.

Archie was getting more of a fight from Team Magma Executive Amanda than he ever thought he would.

Both Archie and Amanda’s Mightyena made another leap at each other teeth bared before both hit the ground rolling around and snapping at each other ravenously, both hoping their foe would make one mistake and that would lead to their death.

“Why do you hesitate Archie?” Amanda goads the Aqua Leader. “Afraid to die?”

“Hmph. I admit little Amanda you have grown into quite a strong and confident young woman…” Archie begins. “But! Because of what you believe, your attitude and lack of sight you can never best me.”

It was at that moment that Archie’s Mightyena launches a sneak attack at his unsuspecting foe with a rather skull breaking headbutt that caused Amanda’s Mightyena to loose its foot and tumble, like a rag-doll of the tip of the mountain and down some stairs.

Amanda turned to her Pokemon partner in pure fear as a pool of blood formed under it.

“You are still too young.” Archie growled darkly at Amanda who turned to Archie with pure malice.

“He’ll make it Ma’am! Only a number of broken bones.” A Team Magma Grunt named Veronica called out to Amanda. “Just focus on securing this battle! For the hope of the planet!”

Amanda nods to her Magma member and turns to Archie with a look of anger and contempt. “This isn’t over…In fact, you just opened the door to a chain that you started so long ago! Now begin to relive that wrath!”

Amanda calls out a Solrock that she nicknamed Red Sun. “Red Sun!” Amanda orders. “Drown Archie and his pitiful group in a sea flames!”

“Stupid.” Archie snorts. “Solrock have Psychic properties is that all you have? If it is I suggest you lay down your arms now and let me laugh in that coward Maxie’s face for once again lacking the will to be a man.”

“Curse you.” Amanda growls before noticing that Red Sun was acting strangely. “Red Sun where are you going?” Amanda asked her creature who simply ignored and spat flames at her.

Red Sun the Solrock floats high above the ground to avoid any and all attacks from its Dark-Type foe’s assaults as a light whirlwind of fire spins around it.

It was also at this moment that the meteorite began to resonate and cause the machine to make a deep and slow bleeping noise. This got Schneider’s attention.

The flames around Red Sun continue to increase and strengthen.

With a quick flash of its red eye The Sun-shaped Pokemon suddenly unleashes a strong Fire Spin attack, engulfing Archie’s Mightyena into its contents. Archie quickly jumps away from the dangerous pyrotechnic assault and looks on as the Fire Spin made its way in a straight path towards the machine and anything else that stood in its path.

ALL MAGMA’S MOVE NOW! RED SUN IS OUT OF CONTROL!” Amanda screams.

AQUA’S STOP THOSE FLAMES!” Archie orders.

Gatsura’s Blastoise steps four feet in front of the machine and takes the full brunt of the attack quickly caught in the fiery circle and lightly burned.

Red Sun continued its attacks on the Mecha Tortoise Pokemon as if lost all sense of mind. This caused the fighting between groups to stop for a moment.

The meteorite continued to resonate at an even faster rate now. This created a high pitched screeching again that didn’t bother the Magma’s or Aqua but sure as hell annoyed the crap out of the Pokemon in the area who whimpered and yelped in pain from the noise.

The noise didn’t bother Red Sun the Solrock though it just stopped his attacks on Blastoise and began to float around crazily shooting flames at anybody or anything in sight.

What the hell…” Gatsura gasped.

“Obviously this shows that Magma has no control over their Pokemon.” Archie smirks.

Archie stopped his comments as soon as the noise caused Schneider’s Lunatone to pop out of its ball, eyes glowing in the same piercing manner, as it floats about trace-like until it saw Amanda’s Solrock.

Neither moved nor attacked, they just floated there. Overtime both Sun-shaped and Crescent Moon-shaped Pokemon began to move around each other in a rhythmic fashion much like the dance of day and night.

It looked almost enchanting for the moment. Enchanting until both Pokemon pulled away from each other before colliding.

After that a bright ethereal shine came from the meteorite, which blackened the skies for the moment revealing the lights beauty. The beautiful flash could be seen from far and wide with Hoenn. Leaving many with a mixed feeling of curiously, romance, awe and most importantly fear.

The light of the meteorite abruptly came to a halt and was replaced by a heavily smoking volcano and a huge tremor.

The rest of Hoenn also felt this nasty shock.
-----------------
(In Mauville Hospital for Humans)
(Repository Therapy ward. The intensive care unit)

“Is everyone alright?” Steven asked Mia, Wally’s friends and anyone in the area.

“Nothing sharp fell on me so I’ll live.” Daisuke mutters while throbbing his forehead.

“I’m Ok.” Jenna assures.

“Same” Jasmine groans.

“I’m ok as well Onii-chan.” Mia softly replies as releases herself from Steven‘s protective grasp. “Are you ok?”

“I’ll live.” Steven smiles assuring for his worrywart sibling, “But” The 19-year-old continued as he dusted himself off. “This is becoming serious. I don’t think the area could take another harsh tremor like that. Worse off: Survive a stronger one.”

“What’s going on Onii-chan? Why is all this abnormalities occurring?” Mia desperately asked her older brother who looked straight in front of him wistfully as he spoke.

“You didn’t see the news forecast did you? Well…”

------------
(A little later)

“Explains something’s” Daisuke aggregately growls crossed armed. Jenna nods. “We had to literally sneak past those Magma’s just to get into Route 110 and it got worse when we tried to get back to town.”

Mia turned to her older brother apologetically as she hugs him warmly. “I’m sorry I doubted you. Steven…I thought just for a moment that you…”

“It’s quite alright to doubt Mia. I suppose I wasn’t exactly the most fair to the boy. I bear no grudge for that.”

Steven smiles as he ruffles his sister’s hair before nearly falling on the small and petite 10-year-old due to another heavy tremor. This one actually caused the electricity to break down as a few large stalagmites pushed through the concrete floor.

Luckily, no one in the hospital got hurt. And there was energy reserves so all patients would be fine for now. It was at this moment that Nurse Joy’s voice bellowed from outside thanks to her trusty microphone.

PEOPLE! GO TO THE POKEMON CENTER AND MAUVILLE GYM ASAP!!! UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE MAUVILLE AND VERDANTURF ARE IN COMPLETE LOCKDOWN! ALL ENTRANCES TO ROUTES SHALL BE BARRICADED OFF!

“What!” Many inside and outside the hospital screamed.

THIS IS FOR YOU OWN GOOD! ACCORDING TO WATTSON ANOTHER EVEN STRONGER TREMOR IS COMING OUR WAY WITHIN AN HOUR! THE VELOCITY AND STRENGTH OF THIS NEXT IMPACT IS UNKNOWN! PLEASE! DROP ALL MATERIAL BELONGS AND GET TO THE GYM QUICKLY!

“Oh yeah!” One man who came out from his home challenged. “And why should we listen to you! You’re barricading us from civilization and expect one rinky-dink shack to save a city full of people!? GAAAH!

Before anything else could happen the snowstorm of ash became even stronger acting like gusting blizzard. Quickly engulfing the rude man in its snow-like wrath.

The force of the wind caused Nurse Joy to be thrown back into the Center and fall on her back. Her Chansey and Blissey both ran up to her worried and shielding her from the glass shards that flew at them from the broken window due to the howling winds force.

Nurse Joy smiles at her friends and picks herself up. “This is horrible. The air is so choking…how can anyone be expected to go outside?”
The pink haired Nurse spoke aloud. “Also that shock badly destroyed our energy source. The reserves can only last so long…” Nurse Joy then looks up to the sky fully of worry. “Is this truly Hoenn’s final hour?”

-------
(Verdanturf Town)
(Pokemon Center)

Though not hit as badly by that tremor. Verdanturf felt it. And the damages to people and homes are audible.

The thickening ash that disguised itself as a volcanoes snow gusted at a horrid rate. The thickness of the air was even hurting those who weren’t sickly, but was murder on those who were. Many buildings were ravaged due to the rising ground formations and stalagmites that formed.

Being a small town, the people of Verdanturf were able to commute over to the Verdanturf Pokemon Center for shelter since it was their only safe house due to the lockdown and all.

The Nurse Joy of Verdanturf had her hands full.

Attending to not only injured Pokemon but to injured civilians who got hurt in the quake. Wanda and any other uninjured person who knew a bit about the medical field did what they could to help out.

Even though Wanda would much rather look for Wally and Mia, her hands were tied at the moment with a huge number of injured people around.

May was carried into an intensive care room that was usually meant for very injured Pokemon but due to the lack of space and trainers in Verdanturf it wasn’t ever really used as much.

Making it the perfect room for sickly humans who collapsed or suffered asthma attacks due to the chocking air.

The Verdanturf Nurse Joy walked into the intensive care room dragging along with her a cart full of oxygen tanks.

The Nurse Joy of Verdanturf hated being confused for her twin sister in Mauville so to show she was different, she doesn’t have her hair in the usual Joy custom. She let her hair go loose to reveal that her long pink hair went down to her legs and put green highlights in it to show she was different.

Not only that, but she also changed the Nurse outfit from a loose white dress to tighter pink one that was a bit longer in length.

Finally, rather than use a Chansey or a Blissey she used a Pikachu and Jigglypuff to act as her allies.

Her yearn for change did make her the most appealing Pokemon Nurse in all of Hoenn and a huge popular amongst males. But her change made her become the rebel of the family. She was still loved but severely looked down upon and doubted.

She was never really understood…

Only her Pokemon and the youngest Joy who works as an apprentice to the eldest Joy in Fortree understands her and adores the ground she walks on. Mia and Wally has also grown quite understanding of this woman and adore her inner strength.

So all in all she didn’t have it that bad even if she was considered the family disgrace.

“This isn’t good” The pink and green haired Nurse mummers. “The power’s completely down and if something isn’t done our reserves are gonna be shot…The air’s getting so thick…This can’t be good for these people…I have to get the air filter back online!” The Nurse suddenly began to ponder on how. This quickly forced her to loose confidence. “Maybe if I call-”
Nurse Joy quickly slaps herself for even thinking of wanting to turn for her sister’s help. “I don’t need them! I can do this! All I have to do is go to the basement and fix the generator before the next impact. Yeah that’s it! Then I’ll show them all that I’m capable!”

Leaving her Jigglypuff to watch the patients. Joy, with Pikachu by her side goes to the basement. Leaving the lives of many sickly people in her hands.

The lives of many…except one… Her fate was her own call…

---------------
(Location: ???)

“May!” Alia’s voice nagged. “HEY! Wake up!”

“…”

“Do you want to sleep the whole day away lazybones?” Alia’s voice continued to gripe. “Up and out!”

May Hiromi in her usual adventurers attire, awakes to find herself in Route 103, which she considered her and Brendan’s “spot” where they meet, hangout and chat.

“Alia? What are we doing here?”

“Man, she really is dense.” The familiar voice of Max scoffed as he walked up next to May. “Don’t be mean Max!” Laurel teased.

May was getting confused. “Max? Laurel? Why are-”

“Sorry I’m late!” Brendan pants as he ran to the spot while carrying 6-year-old Sally on his back. Sally’s twin Suzie ran on her own and happily ran up to May.

“Big girl is back!” She squeals happily. Max rolls his eyes. “Ugh she’s been always here.”

May looked at Max very much weirded out now. “What are you talking about? I‘ve been around traveling for months…Wait! Where‘s Mia!” May then checks her waist only to find her GBA and a Pokeball containing Tsunami the Torchic. This started to rupture fear and worry into the girl. “What the-Whirlpool? Leaf? Lightning? Where are they?

Brendan walks up to May and puts a comforting hand on her shoulder. “You shouldn’t force yourself. You have a pretty nasty bump on your head.” Max closed his eyes and crosses his arms. “She must’ve had a nightmare. May going out and catching Pokemon that’s a laugh!”

“But I think those names are cute” Laurel giggles.

Hearing this May steps back nervously. “A-Alia…what’s going on?”

“You just fell on your head when you slipped on a rock while practicing your punches and kicks May.” Alia dryly answers. Before showing some concern for her owner. “You…feeling ok?”

“I-” Was the 13-year-old chestnut haired girls only answer. She also noticed she was in her adventurers attire that Mrs. Hiromi bought her but in her school uniform.

‘Was everything that happened to me some sort of dream?’ The chestnut-haired girl pondered disbelieving.

May noticed as she backed away Brendan and the others looked at her passively as they and everything around May slowed down and turned black and white if things couldn’t get any stranger Tsunami pops out of her Pokeball.

Bloodied and burned, Tsunami the Torchic glared cold daggers at what was suppose to be her trainer and partner.

“Tsunami…” May stammered in horror and rage at what happened to her Pokemon. “What happened? WHO DID THIS?!?”

“You…” The chick Pokemon spoke in human tongue. Which made May go wide eyed as Tsunami evolved into a Combusken.

“Is this what you wanted?” The now fowl Pokemon hissed at the 13-year-old. Tsunami then evolves again into a Blaziken. “Or was it this…”

Fire started to brew in the background as May unwaveringly stood down her bloodied final form starter Pokemon who glared icily, no, murderously at her.

Tsunami being much stronger and now much taller than May, grabbed her by her throat and picked up causing Alia who screamed at Tsunami to stop to fall to the ground and hit the ground shattering apart.

Tsunami allowed fire to flare up on her wrist to severely burn the chestnut haired girl who squirmed in unbelievable pain.

“Congratulations.” Tsunami spoke to May while tightening her death grip. “I’ve become just like you…wrathful, pitiful and selfish. I’m as weak as you are now. We truly are alike. So let us die together in the hate that you created!”

May struggled as much as she could against her own Pokemon but to no avail. May could have sworn that Tsunami was putting her down since she started to feel her feet touch the ground. When the 13-year-old managed to open one eye she only saw herself.

A fiercer more version of herself, Or as most come to know as the Wild half.

“You’ll never berid of me! You hear me!” Wild May hissed at her true self. “NEVER! I’ll kill you before that happens! Once and for all!”

End Chapter 18

------------
(Notes)

1. Ryukyu Gatsura’s voice is always bolded. I deliberately did this just to have a type of antagonist with a really interesting quirk. (Aside that he may be into Team Aqua’s dreams deeper than that of Archie himself.)

2. Amanda wasn’t lying, that was really in the description: “Must be able to think way out of tight spots. And outwit nosy Trainers.”

3. When I mean “Dance of Day and Night” I mean the way the sun and moon move when either rises or sets.

Next- Chapter 19- Race to the top: The Wild Flower that grows in the Far off Distance of the wind

Isaac Gravity February 20th, 2005 2:21 PM

Disclaimer- I don’t own Pokemon or anything else.
-------------------

There comes a time when the surroundings you’re used to become a bother…The pressures and insecurities of life begin to spiral down and compress you, confuse you, scare you…

There are many paths you could take but not all of them are for the best…

It was these feelings that played on May Hiromi’s mind ever since she almost lost herself in Route 103.

Her thoughts are always like the wayward breeze; she would shrug off all of her troubles for a moment only to return to it with a gust of fury later.

Is this what makes one an adventurer? Or that of a confused, wandering soul who only exists to find true worth in oneself…

--------------
Chapter 19- Race to the top: The Wild Flower that grows in the Far off Distance of the wind
--------------------
(Astral Plains)

“WHY?” May’s wild half roared. “WHY DO YOU PERSIST ON BETRAYING ME?!”

The wild half’s grip around May’s throat tightened by every passing moment. The 13-year-old could literal feel herself succumbing to her other half’s might.

In a desperate attempt to save herself and stop the wild half’s whining, May gives out one pained scream while throwing a hard kick at the wild half’s ribs.

The wild half cries out in pain from the hit, releasing her hold on May to hold her sides in a pained matter.

The 13-year-old didn’t have too much time to catch her breathe; the wild half, angrier than before swiftly ran up to May and gave her a hard blow to face before she could even react.

May slides a few feet away from her dark side. The 13-year-old wipes the trickle of blood that dripped down her lips through gritted her teeth.
From the fury growing within her own now feral eyes she was ready for an all out brawl for her body.

“Is that best you’ve got!?” May’s wild half growled. “You’re too weak to be in control if that was a blow from your killing intent!” The wild half’s eyes were practically slits, as her teeth were looking more like fangs. “You’re just expired trash! You don’t understand what it means to exist… YOU WORTHLESS WASTE OF MIND MATTER I‘M GOING TO KILL YOU!!!”

May’s own fury was growing a pace similar to her wild half’s as her own ocean blue eyes went from feral to becoming piercing slits.

What the chestnut-haired 13-year-old really wanted to do at the moment was tell the girl to shut-up or punch her cranium in. Or both.

But her energy almost felt tapped, while her throat felt too bone dry for her to say a thing. All May could do is fall to her knees while lightly holding her neck, trying to force herself to cough at most, but all she was getting shortened breathes and light wheezes.

The wild half wanted to lunge at the girl but was knocked far away from the 13-year-old by a strong unseen force. When she tried to get back to her feet; that same force kept her practically pinned.

May was quickly growing light-headed from the lack of oxygen. The atmosphere around her was just getting less and less supplement on the amount of air molecules.

Everything after that just went black.
----------------
(Flashback: Southern Islands)

A 6-year-old May laid curled up in fetal position for warmth. Today she was locked in solitary confinement for merely defending herself against another child’s attacks. May couldn’t blame her. The girl though a year older than her lost all her sanity from what was going on around them. She just couldn’t take anymore and just snapped.

But she didn’t have to take out her problems on her or the others in the cell just because they were smaller…In a hellhole like this all you can do is fight; fight and fight until you were no more…Fight and be selfish that’s all.

It was the first time May ever maimed anyone…the only thing that truly irritated her was that Dakim and some of the guards wouldn’t let her clean up to remove the foul stench and stains of her and that girl’s blood from herself. Hell, the only reason she was locked in here was because she bit Dakim’s hand…

“Mommy, Daddy…” The girl sniffled. “Why did you leave me here to die? Where are you?” May’s sorrowful eyes slowly formed into strong hatred as she finished her words in a low growl. “I’ll never forgive either of you for what you’ve done…”
----------

(Two years later)

A year has passed since Cipher’s base has been infiltrated and the kidnapped children now called the Crop Kids were all released.

Many tried to return to their normal lives and forget that shadowy past that they thought they’d never escape. It wasn’t an easy task.

Especially for those dubbed the experiment X-series who were given an untested and unstable serum meant to make them into feral killing machines that had the form of humans but the senses and instincts equal to any Pokemon; however the serum created by Prof. Ein was untested and contained many components that were unstable, in order to stabilize the viscous X-series children they were put under an extremity of physical and mental training.

Those who survived being injected with the serum succumbed to the labor. Those who were able to withstand the labor became wrecks, whether it is mentally, emotionally or both. With the potential to unleash there deadly might at any moment…

Whimpering in her sleep. 8-year-old May tossed and turned in her bed. Tears ran down the young girl’s cheek loosely as she screams and pleas to who ever is harming her in her dreams to stop.

“May! May!! Calm down your only having a nightmare sweetie.” Mrs. Hiromi who had been resting by her child’s bedside assured her as she hugs May sorrowfully. “I pretty much have an idea of what you were dreaming of.”

May looked far from secure in her mothers hold. The 8-year-old’s eyes showed the expression of one who was being held by a crazy person, a complete stranger. And it was that thinking that made May dig her nails into Mrs. Hiromi’s back.
The woman winced and attempted to squirm a bit but she didn’t fight it. She continued to hold her daughter in a loving manner and hum the “Hush little baby song” song until she’d eventually fall dead.

That didn’t happen though, May let her hands fall to her sides as she began to mummer something like sounded like: “Momma…I’m scared” before she cries into her mothers chest. Mrs. Hiromi continued her warm hug and soothing melody as tears of her own rolled down her cheeks.

---------------
(3 years later)

She was feeling a bit under the weather and knew she’d be a sitting duck if she went down the usual path to school…

11-year-old May decided to skip school today and hideout in an abandoned spot under the bridge. No one goes there after all, only a few types of Water Pokemon call this area home.

Giving a depressed little sigh, May splashed some water on her face to perk herself up.

She didn’t have any friends, she was the demon child, and the Pokemon blasphemer a bane to all that live At least that’s what the citizens of Violet City say to any newcomer.

It was this realization that caused a sudden twinge of rage over take the girl. Thrashing at the water violently as if struggling for dear life May eventually stops and finds herself soaking wet and breathing heavily, trying to swallow in all the pain and torment she constantly undergoes…

She really hated the life she lived…

A little Poliwag pops out of the water and eyes May rather sympathetically. Being young and naïve, the Poliwag simply hops out of the water and attempts to pat its tail on May’s arm. The girl instinctively grabs the tail and squeezes it.

Not feeling any real reason to hurt the creature, the chestnut-haired girl releases her hold on the monster and tells it to get lost.

It doesn’t…

“Taking the road of a delinquent?” The voice of the Violet City Gym Leader Falkner asked the 11-year-old.

May wipes her eyes before turning to the man with a fierce scowl. “Piss off Pokemaniac I live as I please. Go pet and play with your monsters somewhere else.”

Falkner is a rather serious fellow but couldn’t help but try to bring the girl down a peg. “Really?” He slyly counters. “Then I guess you must pet and play with Pokemon too.” Falker then gestures to Poilwag that continued to cuddle itself against May’s leg, much to her annoyance. Falkner then goes back to his usual mode. “Actually I volunteer my time to the PTA to make sure children go to school when they aren’t training Pokemon.”

The Gym Leader then grabs May by the wrist and tightens it to make sure she’ll succumb and fall to her knees.

The Poilwag tried attacking Falkner with its tail but it was a no go. But… that didn’t stop it from continuing…

The Gym Leaders actions only annoyed May even further as she blurts out to the man. “My Mom is busy today OK! I don’t want to burden her but I don’t want to go to school! I never needed it!”

“Your Mom would be even more burdened if she found out her child didn’t return home. There are people you can turn to if others are bothering you…”

“If you know so much why don’t you do something about it?”

“It’s not my call unless you make the stand.”

Falkner finally let go of May’s arm.

As an act of vengeance May bites Falkner’s left leg. With his guard dropped and his attention focused on the pain, May pushed the Gym Leader into the lake and runs off screaming something like all people being cowards and hypocrites and being able to defend herself as she ran off swiftly.

The chestnut-haired 11-year-old didn’t even realize that the Poliwag was following her.

----------
(Two years later)

It was nightfall in Oldale town of the Hoenn region. After the people she had come to grow used to after a month of residence in LittleRoot Town learned of her past; May, in all her fear of being treated like she was back in her days in Johto lashed out at Brendan Birch and his friends and resulted in her almost killing Brendan.

Luckily, May regained her senses and broke into a sudden nausea.

What she didn’t understand was rather than avoiding her, Brendan and the others remained by her side. Even as we speak Brendan was walking May home.

“We don’t have rush.” Brendan softly smiles at his fatigued female friend as he slowly moved towards a nearby bench.

May looks at Brendan with nothing but guilt. “How could you still go out of your way for me even after learning all this?”

Brendan raises an eyebrow and looks at May a bit confused. “Why not? It wasn’t my place to keep hounding you over your life…I got what was coming to me-”

“DON’T YOU DARE EVEN SAY THINGS LIKE THAT!” May screams at the boy becoming so worked up she stood up suddenly while yelling at him only to feel queasy again and sat back down. “Brendan…Please…” May continued beginning to tremble for what she was about to say. “Maybe…it’d be best if you didn’t hang around me anymore…I’m just putting you and the others at risk…And…You’re too warmhearted to even put yourself at risk like that…”

“Idiot.” Brendan lightly commented. “You’re trying to take the easy way out. It’s easy to throw yourself a pity party at the cost of others.”

May looks at Brendan with a light scowl. “You’re the idiot!” She shot back. “This is for your own good!”

“You don’t know that for sure do you?” Brendan replies. “You’re just trying to take the easy way out to deny the truth.”

The snow colored haired boy now throws the girl a smirk. “Do you really think pushing others away will amount to anything? You gonna try to push away your own Mom? I bet you already tried that and failed horribly.”

Indecisive silence was May’s answer.

Brendan’s features soften as he used two fingers to cup May’s chin. May looks at Brendan a bit surprised.

A light glow of pink overtook her cheeks color. Brendan doesn’t notice this and continues talking. “She loves you too much. And in Johto I bet there were a few people who tried to open up to you but unlike your family…unlike us they fell for your attitude…”

“Us?”

“The people who like you but aren’t family…us! Max, Suzie, Sally, Laurel, Tsunami, Alia, Ciel, me, my parents and I bet the list goes on…” The snow-colored hair boy gives the chestnut-hair girl a smug look. “Face it May, you’re loved. I guess that makes us all idiots but you’re the biggest one of them all for being so blind to the truth all this time.”

May’s flushed face slowly became flushed with anger.

A friendly exchange of verbal barbs would shortly ensue between the two friends. Yet, despite all that, May deeply took Brendan words into consideration.

-------------
(Months later)

In one of the many islands of Route 105 May Hiromi and her new travel companion: 10-year-old Mia Stone stood by the edge of a cliff watching a beautiful sunset that neither could hope to see if they remained in their respective homes.

From an exterior point of view one would say the two girls were practically opposites: May, a girl who looks brimming with confidence in everything she does. While Mia’s a more downcast, shy girl who holds a latent potential that can only be unleashed if she should ever see worth in herself.

The chestnut-haired 13-year-old silently watched Mia stare at the beau tic background with eyes that sparkled with curiosity and awe.

May couldn’t help but envy Mia a bit though. The indigo-eyed 10-year-old was pretty good at hiding her morose nature and makes her appear as one who can simply smile at everything. The only reason why Mia’s act didn’t work on her was because May understood her pain at first glance and could help but sympathize with her.

Mia was the complete opposite of her. May can’t deal with her problems; rather than face them with a false smile she would rather run away and laugh at the very fabric of existence.

Mia was a lot stronger a person than she gives herself credit for… A lot more true to herself than May ever was to herself in a long time…

“The sunset is amazing isn’t May-san?” The 10-year-old asked her friend. May simply gives the younger girl a weak smile along with a nod.

Mia feels a bit uneasy with May’s expression but shakes it off with a warm smile of her own.

“This really is a beautiful site. I could‘ve never dreamed to ever see such a background unless it was within a painting or on TV.” Mia replies. “I never regret a single day I joined you May-san. Thank you so much for allowing me to join you.”

“That’s the problem.” May mutters forcing Mia to look at her a bit hurt. “You’ve seen nothing but constant danger since you’ve been with a low life like me…”

“You aren‘t!” The 10-year-old nearly screams at May. “That wasn’t your fault. You tapped into the serum’s power yes, but you didn’t expect that to happen. But you had the inner strength to fight it’s control all you needed to do was to think about what soothes you…”

“It’s kind of you to think like that Mia, but we should stop lying. It might get worse from here…”

“You are no one’s monster May-san, you are not a solider of death and destruction…You never were and never will be…You rewritten and revived the perspective of living for too many people to ever truly allow the serum to win. The day you allow that is the day you truly have lost yourself…”

May never answered the girl, she simply tries with all her might to avoid Mia’s saddened gaze. The 10-year-old walks up to her friend and puts a silvery bracelet with an emerald in its center and puts it around May’s left wrist much to the 13-year-old‘s surprise.

“You chose to fight the serum’s control when you simply could’ve killed me.” Mia states matter-of-factly. “It was your choice to take me along with you as it was my decision to want to leave my safe home were I felt unhappy and travel with someone who I deeply respect and knew if I hung around could help me change myself…”

Isaac Gravity February 20th, 2005 2:28 PM

Cont
----------

When Mia boldly said those words May was a bit taken aback by the words she chose: Decision and Choice the same words people have been telling her all her life.

It seemed that for the moment that everything around was slowly turning into nothingness. May’s surprised gasp at the events that transpired became an echo in the wind.

Mia gives May a warm smile to quell her friends worry. “Why do you look so surprised May-san? It’s always been you. Even though what happened to you was a horrible and unpredicted event that no one deserves to live through…You survived it all and became very strong. After you escaped that wicked place, everything that occurred thereafter was all a response to your own doings. You chose not to fully fall to the serum because you realized that there were people around you that loved you deeply. You used their love to make what was to be a curse into your greatest possession and protect them and others fiercely.”

This was too much for May. The 13-year-old couldn’t help but break out laughing from everything she just heard much to Mia‘s dismay.

“Oh, so let me guess?” she began. “If I still don’t see it as that I’ve truly lost myself huh?”

“No,” Brendan’s voice echoed from the emptiness. “If you still can‘t see the answer then why do you still push yourself forward like this? What exactly do you want in life?”

Overtime, the snow colored hair boy, accompanied by Wally both walk from the white space to join the duo.

“I can’t believe the person who I looked up to all this time was such a crybaby.” Wally mutters disappointed.

May shakes off Wally’s words with a twisted smile. “Am I the only one here who can see the humor in all this garbage?”

“This is supposed to be funny?” Wally mummers.

May shook her head while shrugging still chuckling to herself about the expectedness of the situation.

Watching May’s actions struck a nerve within her friends. While Brendan chose to gaze at the chestnut-haired girl with a saddened gaze, Wally and Mia shuddered with mixed emotions.

“How could you…” Wally muttered quite crushed. “After all the things you taught and did for me… They never had meaning to you!”

“You should stop lying to yourself May-san!” Mia desperately tried to reason. “You’ve done so many things for so many people that you couldn’t be impure!”

May looked uneasy the moment the two pulled up those points but she was able to gather up her scattered pride and grins weakly at them.

“STOP LYING!” Wally shouts, fighting to hold back the tears that stung his eyes. “You’re lying… You’re only throwing yourself a pity party!!”

“This isn’t funny May-san…” Mia replies sadly. “What your doing is leading yourself to your own self destruction.”

May looks away from the two heartbroken youths to realize that a Pokeball was within her right hand.

The girl didn’t know when she ever pulled out; but as she gazed into its red and white design she came to her confirmation.

“Come what may.”

Brendan continued to watch May silently and came to notice that her right arm was lifting itself up without May really noticing.

When she did realize this oddity she struggled with all her might to put it down but was failing miserably.

“You lost all grip on reality so you losing control of yourself would be the most natural of responses.” Brendan reasons in a tone that the chestnut-haired girl never knew he could.

Despite the whip-lashed feeling of pain that ran in her system May grit her teeth and continued her struggle.

“I don’t see anything wrong with the way I lived life until now!” May snaps. “It’s a cheap barrel of laughs anyway!”

“Do you really think that May?” Brendan snaps back. The snow colored hair boy looked away from the girl from what he was going to say next, but even he has his limits of patience. “Or are you that much of a scared, confused and selfish little girl that you fail to realize how much your efforts to act oblivious towards everything around you is all a waste!”

“I have people like you to thank for that don’t I!?” The girl glared at the trio with teary vision but still help onto her pride. “WHY DON‘T YOU JUST F*CK OFF AND LEAVE ME ALONE!!!

May’s right hand let go of the Pokeball and out of it spherical confines emerged a full blackened version of the steel-type Pokemon Steelix.

The iron snake glared down at its beckoner with cold clear eyes as it glowed with an ominous blackish/purple aura.

The glare alone was enough to leave chills down May’s spine. The crushing amount of malice that emanated from the aura was enough to make May unconsciously break into tears while falling to her knees.

“May…” Brendan calmly called out to her. “If you didn’t really care, then why would you let such things get to you?”

May couldn’t answer. She felt if she even squeaked the Steelix would break from its trance and obliterate her very being.

“Well May!” Wally presses the matter.

“Please May-san, we want to help you…” Mia pleads.

They want to help her? A thought in the back of May’s mind scoffs. If that’s so, then get this creature away from her! Why do people make such a big deal about her when Pokemon prove to be just as bad or worse than her matters are…

No, May knew the truth. She didn’t deserve help or kindness from anyone. She was given a multitude of openings from many different people but she rejected them all…

She deserved this, a suiting end…

‘…help me…’

The emerald in the bracelet glows for a moment. This catches May off guard but she dared not to look at it…

…Or shouldn’t she?

It’s not she had anything to lose by just getting up and walking away. The Steelix was probably going to kill her anyway. No one was going to help her and she pretty much had nothing to lose considering how long she’s been through in the astral plains.

The words “Come what may.” again escaped May’s lips as an empty smirk crept up her lips.

The emerald light glows with an even greater light. The pure shine of the Mia’s family heirloom became so strong that it forced the Steelix back.

The light continued to engulf the area and eventually vanquished the shadow beast.

May picks herself to face Brendan, Mia and Wally. All three of them gave their friend a warm smile along with a nod as they too were disappearing into the light.

May’s passive look slowly softens until her cheeks became tainted with a glow of light pink. Rather than break into tears, May flashed those closest to her with a playful toothed grin until she eventually disappeared with the green light.

---------------
With a strong flash from the emerald May awakens in what it seems to be fire engulfed area full of many dead bodies. Some human, the rest Pokemon… Her gloves were stained with the blood of those corpses.

Looking deeply into the background the 13-year-old could see images of her Pokemon walking out of the flames and towards her. None of them showed the face of their usual quirks they all looked bloodthirsty and vicious.

Curse you!” Howled May’s wild half who approached the girl warningly as she held the right side of her face that was severely burned due to the bracelet and May’s new found hope. “Why do you persist on getting rid of me? It was because of me you’re still alive to this day!”

May gave her wild half a venomous scowl before something inside her just snapped! This made all the rage within the girl just wash away; give a defeated sigh and showing little or no concern for the outcome for whatever she was going to do.

“I’m tired…”

The wild half glared at May very distrusting.

May could care less of her reactions and continued her words with a warm smile. “I don’t wish to fight anymore. I’m tired of seeing those I care about constantly putting their necks out for me. I quit. Being a trainer is too hard. I hate seeing my allies get hurt.”

“Y-you quit? Just like that?!?”

May puts both her hands behind her head and yawns a bit before throwing her wild half a bored look…

“Why not? If I just laid low in LittleRoot like I originally planned and not get so worked up and *****y all the time I could’ve been home right now with my Mom. Oh, I would’ve had a lot of friends too. Tsunami would’ve been safe as my house pet and maybe if I didn’t lack such people skills I could’ve had a really cool boyfriend who’d be sending me letters about his quest rather than burdening himself by always being worried sick about all the time about me and working himself to the bone to always be there to help me…Come to think of it, I don’t even like Pokemon…why the hell did I even become a trainer?!”

“Because you must fight!” The Wild half screams at the girl fearfully. “You want to make those who ruined your life drown in sea of their own blood! It was your ultimate dream!”

“Yeah?” May countered. “Well, childhood dreams come and go! All my family has ever done for me was love me too much and always want the best for me!”

The chestnut-haired girl narrows her eyes. Clenching her fist as her eyes waver with a new found determination from within her heart. “Those kind people hardly knew me but they just wanted to befriend me… My Pokemon… They’re my partners and even if my heart doesn’t reach out to every single creature in the world… It does reach out for them…

Tsunami, Whirlpool, Leaf and Lightning all lose their fierce looks and look at May with surprised expressions.

“Now it’s my turn to want the best for them…”

“W-what are you saying…” The wild half quivered.

This was not happening! Was this the dark-minded girl that manifested her? Now, after all this she just wants out?!

She was lying…she had to be…She could feel the anger still pent up in her wanting the taste of blood. In denial May’s wild half quickly pointed that out.

“Ha ha! Nice lie. I could still feel it in you like a core waiting to burst. Stop trying to act all reformed…y-You haven‘t changed a bit! You‘re still bitter…”

May raised an eyebrow. “Bitter? Well yeah! Bitter that I was so blinded to the truth until now. I only have myself to blame now, no one else…”

“you…you LIAR!!!” The wild half bellows at May full of rage.

Losing control, the wild half lunges at the girl and successfully pins her to the ground.

May didn’t even bother to struggle, she just stared right at other side, her face showing neither fear nor malice.

This was what truly unnerved her wild side. Was she really sick of it all? Did she really have no intention of ever leaving the astral plains?

For the first time in years the wild half couldn‘t read May’s intentions…

“Aren’t you going to finish me?” May mock innocently asked her wild half as she attempted to gesture to Tsunami and the rest of her team of Pokemon. “…Because if you do… Those guys over there won’t let you leave either. We‘ll be stuck here for good and we can truly make up for all the pain we inflicted on everyone.”

NEVER!!!” The wild half screamed at the girl as tears ran down her cheeks much to May’s surprise. “WHY ARE YOU BEING SO BLIND? THEY’LL ONLY HURT US AGAIN!!!…They don’t care…they never did… I DON’T WANNA RETURN TO THERE! Th-THEY BETRAYED ME! I-I DON’T WANT TO LIVE THEIR LIVES FOR THEM…I-

As she continued her light tantrum the wild half shrank in size until she reverted back to when May’s heart was fully corrupted by hatred, mistrust and rage…

…All what was left was a 5-year-old version of May sobbing into the original’s chest.

May sat up to hug what used to be her wild half that threatened to destroy her very being…

Surprisingly enough, the wild half in the end was just a demonic rage that was bottled up and mutated into something monstrous due to the serum’s effects. Created and separated from May’s soul since the beginning because her heart could never fully give in…

“Mommy…Daddy… did they really hate me this much to go that far?” The 5-year-old version of the chestnut haired 13-year-old sniveled.

“No.” May softly hushed the sobbing child. “They just wanted what was best…They really didn’t know about that whole mess themselves…In reality we were just victims of circumstance…And each day we were gone for those two years Mom and Dad cried their hearts out for us…”

The 13-year-old’s own eyes begin to well with tears. “And they were even more heartbroken to see what we had become… We could have changed but we chose to bad and hateful this is why I’m so remorseful…”

“So…we- I was the wrong one?”

“Choices could have been made but weren’t now they’re just what ifs…But there’s still time to make things right…”

“You aren’t lying to me?”

“…I don’t know what I feel right now… But, I do know I want to get out of this place! I’ve been here long enough! I can’t always shrug off my problems!” May looks at her 5-year-old self with a determined smile. “This is just another selfish thought from a very selfish person.”

5-year-old May giggles lightly before hugging the true May tighter. “Ok, we’ll play things your way for now…” The little chestnut-haired girl replies. “But if you’re lying I’m taking over!”

And with those words made the young girl slowly became transparent before fully disappearing, taking the entire background with her.

Only leaving a bright fiery aura to envelop around May’s being and a stray tear to roll down her cheek.

Shortly after this, a very familiar pale skinned, topaz colored eyed 14-year-old girl with long raven colored hair dressed in a sky blue robe and sandals to approach May.

“So you aren’t that weak little fledgling.” Angelique greets the 13-year-old in a passive monotone. “You’re wild half was just your darkest, most wicked desires that could come to be…But I suppose you made the correct path…For one who wishes to dance amongst those of the light realm.”

May’s eyes go feral for a moment when she noticed that the person who got her into this mess was right there. But simply chooses to ignore the raven-haired 14-year-old and picks herself up.

Angelique noticed this and continued her passive words. “You worked so hard over nothing and amounted to such. But if really means much to you do you wish to know about the serum?”

Since Angelique didn’t receive an open answer from the girl she just decided to not lose her temper and simply tell her.

“The serum is an untested depressant that is suppose to make the user less capable of understanding reason and make them more in-tune to your animal instincts. With all sense of rational thoughts gone your more primal instincts will be in full swing: Your senses, strength and mobility will be dramatically heightened.”

“The depressant also was meant to dull all other senses that make anyone feel whether it be, pain fear or joy.” Angelique adds. “You’ll know of nothing but to fight and to kill. Willing to take a life regardless of who it is without a single shred of remorse…”

Someway or the other May wasn’t too surprised at these findings. Deep down the chestnut-haired 13-year-old knew this was all that truly needed to be known about that blasted serum…

“Did you mean what you said back there? About wishing to give up and run away from it all?” Angelique continued her observation of May.

“No.” May scoffs. “I just knew that by slapping her I’d be giving into her… So I just figured that doing the complete opposite to the living embodiment of my rage would be the smarter choice…”

The chestnut-haired girl mutters something about wanting punch Norman in the face more than ever.

“You… were lying?” For the first time in what it seemed years Angelique was at a loss for words: She bluffed her way out of that situation…

What was a surprised face slowly shifted into a lightly amused one as the 14-year-old muffles light giggles at her foe’s craftiness.

“I don’t really know what I want from life or what to expect of it…” May continued, while taking a more serious expression. “But do know I really am sorry for what I did to my family and friends and do anything to secure what I know is dear to me no matter the costs.”

Angelique stared at May quietly, as if respecting her resolve and noticing her beginning transparency.

A strong quake snapped May from her thoughts and onto her rear. Angelique on the other hand stood tall as if she didn’t even feel that heavy tremor.

“Angelique.” The 14-year-old replies emptily. Forcing May to look towards her. “My name is Angelique… I told you once that if I reveal the name I posses I must kill you… And now I know you must killed.”

“I’m surprised you failed to do it before.” May challenged. “I don’t want sympathy from someone like you so why not just finish me now since that‘s probably why you‘re here.”

“It cannot be done here nor do I feel it sensible to in the position we’re in.”

The chestnut-haired girl really didn’t know what to make of what this girl was pulling.

The raven-haired girl flashed May a cruel little smirk. “What I do is my choice Hiromi and no one else’s.”

Angelique shrugs lightly at May‘s crossed expression and continues her words. “I suppose it’s because you aren’t a third-rate like I originally thought you to be. Or it’s because of our equal ties to the devil’s gift… Right now isn‘t the time for this… Nature is crying I can feel this even from where I actually am… ”

May didn’t even have time to react before she fully disappeared. A wicked smile slowly formed across Angelique’s face as she stared intently at her right hand that shook freely.

-----
(Flashback)

“Spare me.” Steven scoffs. “For me to actually fear you I’d need to be weaker than you… Since you obviously went to such great lengths to try to maim Hiromi and her Pokemon I‘d say you must fear her.”

(End Flashback)
-------------

“When she faced me…I could barely read her…Her further growth might be a threat to what I want…” The 14-year-old smirks darkly. “But no matter how hard she fights, the powers of those who loves are only as good as the devotion they harbor for those around them…Take that and they become heartless, foolhardy berserkers…Hiromi, May You chose a foolish path.”


To be continued
------------

Updates: 10/4/05 - Really wonder why these much needed revisions missed my eyes all those months ago… Aw well, The matter is patched up and I captured the drama/emotions of May’s feelings a bit better then I did on either try.

Isaac Gravity March 2nd, 2005 10:56 PM

Disclaimer- I don’t Pokemon or anything else.
------------

(Mt. Chimney)

The meteorite continued to pulsate freely as the now Solrock Lunatone combination… showed the same lovely glow as heavy tremors that started to crack at the ground overtook the area.

“Schneider report!” Archie demands. “What the hell is going on here?!”

Schneider holds on for dear life to the machine and manages to blurt out. “Captain, we lost all control now! The meteorite is acting as a reflex to a new type of force. And I do believe that the Solrock and Lunatone have a lot to do with this.”

Both Aqua and Magma glared at the two-in-one Rock/Psychic Pokemon monstrosity.

“So…you’re telling me that that is going to be the cause of our dooms?” One Aqua grunt named Carl asked Schneider.

Schneider simply nods.

This makes Carl smirk a bit but the signs of fear and desperation were quite audible on his features. “SO WHY THE HELL ARE WE JUST STANDING HERE WAITING TO DIE!!!” The paranoid man calls out his Poochyena. “DON’T JUST STAND THERE YOU FOOLISH HOUND! KILL IT! KILL IT NOW!!!”

“The only thing that needs to be killed is this mutinous act!” Boomed the voice of Ryukyu Gatsura as he grabs Carl by his collar.

“Don’t be so stupid!” Carl desperately spoke. “Can’t you see it…We screwed with nature now she’s returning the favor…THAT BLOODY EXSCUSE FOR A POKEMON TOOL HAS BETRAYED US AND IS GOING TO WIPE US ALL OUT!!! THEY DON’T CARE IF YOUR MAGMA OR AQUA!!! STOP BLINDING YOURSELVES FROM THE TRUTH!!”

Archie gives his former Grunt a disgusted look before he walked over to him and punching him in the gut. “You should be more worried if you won‘t be food for the Gyarados.”

“s-Capatin wait! We have to do something about that thing now! If we don’t band together as one now…”

“Gatsura if it would not be too much trouble…”

Without a second thought, Ryukyu, with his mighty strength tossed Carl right off of Mt. Chimney. All the Aqua’s watched with fearful looks but they knew that a heavy price is paid when you betray the noble ranks of Team Aqua.

Amanda was too angry for words to say anything to the Team Aqua Leader.

But she realized that dearly departed Team Aqua Grunt named Carl was right The Solrock Lunatone combination; aka: Soltone does have a lot of influence in these increasingly horrid events now…In fact, the creature seemed to be drawing power from the meteorite.

Carl’s Poochyena, seeing the death of his master in front of his young eyes feels the only thing left for it is to carry out his master’s last orders.

Growling menacingly at Archie, the pup Pokemon leaps at the Aqua Leader and quickly jumps off his back before his or Gatsura’s bulky Pokemon could get their paws on it lunging at the Soltone with the common bane to all Psychic-types everywhere known as Bite.

Oh no you don’t! Partner to a traitor!” Gatsura roars as he has his Blastoise do Hydro Pump at the much lower level Pokemon who, not only got his ribs busted by the pressure of the attack but it was that same force that thrusted it off Mt. Chimney and to a fate similar to its master.

The legendary sea Captain then glowers viciously at the other Aqua’s who froze in their place. “Do you really think life is always smooth sailing? The next person to attack that Pokemon must go through me first. And that goes for you nosy Magma‘s as well.

Whether it is fear, the realization of impending doom at hand, or the fumes emitted from the volcano that deterred their judgment was what caused a handful of the Aqua and Magma Grunts to rush towards Gatsura and his Pokemon.

The remaining Aqua’s who were loyal to Archie attacked the remaining Magma’s.

The fighting between sides again continued to an even fiercer degree. Amanda just watched the Soltone who just hovered high in the air, swaying back and forth in the tainted skies as though it found amusement in what the humans were doing.

Gritting her teeth to mentally curse herself, the 22-year-old Team Magma Executive then takes a look to the shattered land below…

The land she and her cohorts fought so hard to preserve was falling apart right before her eyes: The torn and ravaged lands due to the tremors caused by the meteorite and the Soltone awakening a sleeping giant. The tainted snow that was sullying the lungs of many innocents…this wasn’t what Magma’s dream wanted…

“This… Blast you Aqua… Curse you Red Sun… How could you…” Amanda growls. Pulling out her two remaining Pokeballs. “I’m taking you down for your own and this planets good…Goodbye…”

“I’d think twice before you do anything little woman.” Archie spoke darkly to Amanda. “Aqua has waited too long for this moment…You shall not stop the volcano I will personally make sure of that!”

“You’re a crazy old fool! To that creature what is transpiring is only amusement!” Amanda spoke calmly before giving a malicious smirk.

The look that slowly formed on Archie’s face was rather a scary one. “THE ONLY THING FOOLISH IS YOUR CONSTANT INTERFERENCE WRETCH! THIS MOUNTAIN SHALL BE YOU AND YOUR GROUPS FINAL RESTING GROUND!!!!!! I BURY THIS ENTIRE PLANET AND ALL IT‘S WICKED INHABITANTS IN THE SEA!!!”

“THEN TRY!” Amanda shouts just as enraged.

::RUMBLE::
----------------

(Astral Plains)

May was snapped from her thoughts and onto her rear. Angelique on the other hand stood tall as if she didn’t even feel that heavy tremor.

“Angelique.” The 14-year-old replies emptily. Forcing May to look towards her. “My name is Angelique… I told you once that if I reveal the name I posses I must kill you… And now I know you must killed.”

“I’m surprised you failed to do it before.” May challenged. “I don’t want sympathy from someone like you so why not just finish me now since that‘s probably why you‘re here.”

“It cannot be done here nor do I feel it sensible to in the position were in.”

The chestnut-haired girl really didn’t know what to make of what this girl was pulling.

The raven-haired girl flashed May a cruel little smirk. “What I do is my choice Hiromi and no one else’s.”
Angelique shrugs lightly at May‘s crossed expression and continues her words. “I suppose it’s because you aren’t a third-rate like I originally thought you to be. Or it’s because of our equal ties to the devil’s gift… Right now isn‘t the time for this… Nature is crying I can feel this even from where I actually am… ”

“Wai-” Before May could finish her sentence she fully disappeared.

The only thing she heard was Angelique saying: “Prove your worth. You owe debt to Team Magma now…”

::RUMBLE::

::RUMBLE::

::CRASH!::
----------------
Chapter 19: Race to the top! (Part 2): The parties are assembled! Go for broke!
---------------

(Verdanturf Pokemon Center)
(Intensive Care Unit)

::RUUMMMMBLLLE::

“Ugh my head…” Groaned the voice of 13-year-old May Hiromi who was in a sprawled position on the damaged Poke Center floor. May blankly sat up to hold her throbbing forehead before she realized her location. And what was around her wrist. “So I’m back…”

“Ar”

That cute little squeak came from the same little Aron that May met when she was in New Mauville and gave the Silk Scarf to which he wore proudly. In comparison to last the 13-year-old met the baby Pokemon it looked a lot healthier, it’s metal body was also hardened to a regular Aron’s style meaning that it must of undertook a healthy diet that promotes its growth.

The Aron walked up to May or as he always sees and visualizes her as: A beautiful princess with a long white dress and flowing chestnut brown hair that went down to her legs and stared at her with large twinkling eyes.

May lightly sweatdrops at the sight. “So, what brings you all the way out here? … Wherever here is.”

The Aron quirks up and begins to tug at the Silk Scarf until he finally managed to pull it from around his neck and gently puts in front of May’s feet.

“So you came all this way…and went through all this just to-” May smiles warmly at the Steel/Rock Pokemon and ties the scarf around the little one’s neck again. “Keep it. It’s a gift after all.”

Hearing that the Jolly Rock/Steel Dino Pokemon jumped about happily. That was until the Pink and green haired Nurse Joy and her Pokemon Pikachu and Jigglypuff stared at him and May in surprise.

-----------
(Upstairs: The Main lobby)

“People please!” Wanda pleas as she shields Fred and the other two injured Magma Grunts who also had no choice but to also take shelter in the Verdanturf Pokemon Center from some of the angry Verdanturf residents who were attempting to walk over and beat the living day lights out them.

“Wanda, back away this instant!” The mayor of Verdanturf growls. “It’s because of despicable people like these that our region is under going such destruction now!”

“Yeah! Why are you defending pond-scum like them!” One woman screams.

A bodybuilder who lives next door to Wanda spoke in just as much annoyance but was more sympathetic in tone. “Wanda, we understand your unbiased concern for others but…These men deserve no help…They and Team Aqua are both responsible for Hoenn’s current apocalyptic situation…We should just throw their asses out in there to suffer like more than half of Verdanturf’s sickly residents are right now! Like Wally! Have you not even once thought about him?”

“Wally…” Wanda murmured. “…I am a doctor first! A doctor must not allow things like emotions to cloud their judgment. A person in need of medical attention is a person in need of medical attention. That is that.”

One man who was on the brink of his sanity grabs Wanda by her shirt collar. Just to get a broken jawbone by Wanda’s Martial Artist boyfriend.

“Why you-” The man growls at Tony who only gave the ill-mannered fellow an icy glare.

Before any further tensions could be released Fred puts an understanding hand on Wanda’s shoulder. She quickly helps the injured man up. Fred then begins his speech. “Don’t waste your time you two… These people would never understand what either group is trying to achieve…”

“What’s there to understand you arrogant monster!” A woman holding her crying child roars as tears rolled down her cheeks. “You people only do as you please, destroy what you want then have the bloody nerve to say it’s for the good of humanity!!!…”

The woman shook with anger as she sees Fred’s unmoved face. “YOU PEOPLE MAKE ME SICK TO MY STOMACH! BOTH GROUPS ARE BELOW ALL THAT IS HUMAN!!! NOW LOOK! LOOK WHAT YOU SELFISH B*STARDS CAUSED! YOU RUNINED IT FOR US ALL!!!”

Fred pulls out a cigarette, which is risky considering his condition. Seemingly unphased and continued his speech. “Right, were the selfish ones? We’re the ones who take natures bounty for granted and now as we speak we are locked in a fight to the bitter end to see if we can rectify an untimed anomaly that is tearing Hoenn apart.”

The sudden silence surprised the Grunt this only bolstered his verbal ammunition. “Heheh, It’s funny you don’t seem to be screaming profanities at me any longer. What‘s wrong? I was enjoying the idea of bathing in your ignorance… Like any person, we fight for what we believe in. I want to make places like Verdanturf all around the world with the expanded land. Maxie says it‘s possible with a lot of hardwork and being able to overcome many hardships.”

Many people remained silent but still had the courage to give the man nasty looks. Fred ignored this and continued.

“People like you oppose Magma and Aqua because you feel that the world is fine as it is…Because you don’t look at those around you you’re too busy looking at yourselves and wondering what shoes you’ll wear…Maybe my assumptions are too biased but none the less. If you want to stop the dreams of either side prepare for a war! Every single member of both groups has there own aspiration for joining Aqua and Magma. Remember that. Yuji, Touya let’s go.”

“Ugh, Where to?” Yuji asked the cell leader as he holds his ribs. Fred smirks. “Didn’t you get Veronica’s message. Amanda needs back-up. Whether we make it is up to fate to decide.”

“This is my Hospital and no one else’s.” Growled the voice of Nurse Joy as she helped carry a very physically fatigued May. “And no one, I repeat, NO ONE will leave the premises in this harsh condition: Aqua, Magma, rich, poor, young, old. You are all welcome to stay here!”

Fred smiled warmly at the Pink and green haired Pokemon nurse and waved. “Sorry, you can’t make me change my mind this time…”

“Then I‘m coming too…” May manages to speak as she limps over to the Magma‘s. Making everyone turn to her as if she was nuts.

“Do you know what you’re asking to do little girl?” Fred asked the 13-year-old.

“I don’t see Mia or Wally anywhere…” May mutters before quickly turning to Fred and the other two dumbfounded Magma’s. “Well,” She began. “Can you take me to Mt. Chimney? Like you I have business there.”

Many including the Magma’s just wrinkled their noses a bit in disgust at the girl’s attitude.

“Oh and what business could a child have there?” The mayor scolds May only to end up a bit unnerved by the harshness of her icy feral glare.

Fred, being the leader of the group quickly spoke. “Do what you want kid. I only have one thing to say: No stragglers. You better hold your weight and keep up with our pace. You look like you’re about to collapse at any given moment. Why don’t you just rest and count your blessings, what’s left of them anyway.”

“I told you…I have business up there…Well it’s more like a debt to pay than business.”

A pessimistic 16-year-old trainer who had been listening in on the whole situation only laughs at what he sees it as: May’s lack of sight. “Heh. You kids these days…You think anything is possible just because you set your mind to it… You watch too much anime…”

“And you’re just another loudmouth Coward!” Nurse Joy screams in May’s defense. This outburst from the Pokemon Nurse shocked many. “How come when it comes down to it people like you are the first to break down. Crying about what you could have done in life what should be done. Thinking of yourself and always, ALWAYS putting down someone who has a light of courage in their heart! Things are bleak now yes, but what’s whining gonna prove?”

Utter silence was the bulk of the citizens’ answer.

The 16-year-old smirks. “You really are a friggin’ idiot aren’t you? Then I’ll say it slowly so it can fall into that thick skull of yours: WE-ARE-GOING-TO-DIE! IT’S OVER!! LIFE AS WE KNOW IT IS OV-AWWP!”

Before the rude teen could continue yelling he knocked square in the face by the quiet Touya. “Have a bit more respect for your elders especially when they’re women.” The rather chivalrous Magma Grunt growls. “Mainly one who lets you seek shelter here and used to be Fred‘s-”

“Enough.” Fred starts. “We wasted enough time on these hapless fools. Let’s move.”

“Wait! Girl!” Wanda calls out to May before handing her goggles, an air filter mask, her phanny pack, Alia, who greeted May as if nothing ever happened between them. And the Great Ball that contains the Pokemon Mrs. Stone left for her. “You may not know me too well but-”

“It’s ok” May softly answers. “I don’t know why but I feel I owe a lot to you…So, Thank you for all you’ve done for me.”

“Just make sure you find out what happened to my Wally and bring him and Mia back safely…Be careful…”

With a simple nod May agrees to Wanda’s request and leaves with the Magma’s with little Aron following closely behind.

-----------
(Outside)

“Pretty heart warming scene back there kiddo.” Fred addressed May. “You sure you don’t want to stay behind?”

“May’s too hardheaded to listen to anyone.” Alia comments dryly. “But it’s her usually bratty behavior that usually leads us down the path we need.”

“Thanks Al…Remind me to add your words to a resume…” May face faults. Alia, who was just happy to have her friend back quickly matches May’s sarcasm with a dry “No problem.”

“Well, it’s not like the Pokedex is lying Hiromi. You are quite thick-skulled.” Steven Stone greets as he stood calmly ontop of a ravaged home. Only jumping down to face his baby sister’s best friend, traveling companion and mentor.

“You...” May mutters. “Why are you here?”

Steven shrugs. “Stopping a person from risking her life without a clue...”

“I'll live, thanks.”

“Live? You can barely walk.” Yuji comments.

Feeling that there wasn't too much time to waste needlessly arguing with the 13-year-old Steven releases Whirlpool the Zigzagoon, Lightning the Electrike and Tsunami the Torchic from their Pokeballs to greet their trainer after months of separation…

Well, Whirlpool and Lightning did anyway. Tsunami, who bared the most injures just stood in her place looking at the ground too ashamed to face May.

May looks at Tsunami blankly before she crawls over to her and pokes her feathered face teasingly, only muttering. “You think your so tough you little brat.”

“Chi…” Tsunami chirps softly as tears forms in her cute black eyes.

‘Finally they forgave each other.’ Lightning mentally sighs. ‘I really thought Tsunami would die of grief back in the Center.’

‘Good. Now all we need is to see them argue and everything will be back to normal.’ Whirlpool smiles before noticing Aron who saw this scene as a very touching one as the beautiful princess hugs her long lost royal pet in a sparkling background.

‘Beautiful…’ The Level 5 Pokemon mummers, forcing Whirlpool and Lightning sweatdrop.

“Unfortunately Hiromi.” Steven began. “Due to a very untimed mix-up your Shroomish was mistook for Wally’s Pokemon and was rushed with him to the Intensive Care room in the Hospital.”

May stopped hugging Tsunami and looked at Steven very vexed. Before the chestnut-haired girl could ask any questions Steven continues his serious tone. “As soon as I turned my back Mia had Wally’s friends act as a decoy so she could sneak off to Mt. Chimney and confront Teams Magma and Aqua alone.”

After hearing that May quickly, yet painstakingly picks herself up and attempt to run.

Steven quickly grabs the girl by her left wrist. “In your condition you won’t get far. But that won’t stop you will it?” Steven sighs before he comes to his answer.

Carrying May (who struggled at first was overall too psychically exhausted to continue doing so) on his back Steven quickly runs through the demolished Route 117 with May’s Pokemon. Save for Tsunami who Lightning carried on her back due to her injuries

“Hey! You mind slowing down a bit? Not all of us were track and field medal winners Y‘know!” Yuji yells at Steven who turns to him at shoulders length while still moving.

“How did that saying go… Something about stragglers being left behind?”

“Got us there.” Touya frowns.

“So why did you allow Mia to run off on her own if you know the danger she putting herself in?” May growls at the 19-year-old.

“She is a Stone. There isn’t an obstacle alive that can overcome our proud bloodline.”

May gives the 19-year-old a skeptical look.

“Though, I have to admit.” Steven coughs. “The influence and impression you’ve made upon her was the only true reason why Mia has grown to accept her proud heritage. That’s something that not Father, Mother or even I could accomplish. Kudos to you Hiromi…Your drive is contagious.”

“Mia…” May mummers.

Isaac Gravity March 2nd, 2005 10:58 PM

Disclaimer- I don’t Pokemon or anything else.
------------

(Mt. Chimney)

The meteorite continued to pulsate freely as the now Solrock Lunatone combination… showed the same lovely glow as heavy tremors that started to crack at the ground overtook the area.

“Schneider report!” Archie demands. “What the hell is going on here?!”

Schneider holds on for dear life to the machine and manages to blurt out. “Captain, we lost all control now! The meteorite is acting as a reflex to a new type of force. And I do believe that the Solrock and Lunatone have a lot to do with this.”

Both Aqua and Magma glared at the two-in-one Rock/Psychic Pokemon monstrosity.

“So…you’re telling me that that is going to be the cause of our dooms?” One Aqua grunt named Carl asked Schneider.

Schneider simply nods.

This makes Carl smirk a bit but the signs of fear and desperation were quite audible on his features. “SO WHY THE HELL ARE WE JUST STANDING HERE WAITING TO DIE!!!” The paranoid man calls out his Poochyena. “DON’T JUST STAND THERE YOU FOOLISH HOUND! KILL IT! KILL IT NOW!!!”

“The only thing that needs to be killed is this mutinous act!” Boomed the voice of Ryukyu Gatsura as he grabs Carl by his collar.

“Don’t be so stupid!” Carl desperately spoke. “Can’t you see it…We screwed with nature now she’s returning the favor…THAT ****ED EXSCUSE FOR A POKEMON TOOL HAS BETRAYED US AND IS GOING TO WIPE US ALL OUT!!! THEY DON’T CARE IF YOUR MAGMA OR AQUA!!! STOP BLINDING YOURSELVES FROM THE TRUTH!!”

Archie gives his former Grunt a disgusted look before he walked over to him and punching him in the gut. “You should be more worried if you won‘t be food for the Gyarados.”

“s-Capatin wait! We have to do something about that thing now! If we don’t band together as one now…”

“Gatsura if it would not be too much trouble…”

Without a second thought, Ryukyu, with his mighty strength tossed Carl right off of Mt. Chimney. All the Aqua’s watched with fearful looks but they knew that a heavy price is paid when you betray the noble ranks of Team Aqua.

Amanda was too angry for words to say anything to the Team Aqua Leader.

But she realized that dearly departed Team Aqua Grunt named Carl was right The Solrock Lunatone combination; aka: Soltone does have a lot of influence in these increasingly horrid events now…In fact, the creature seemed to be drawing power from the meteorite.

Carl’s Poochyena, seeing the death of his master in front of his young eyes feels the only thing left for it is to carry out his master’s last orders.

Growling menacingly at Archie, the pup Pokemon leaps at the Aqua Leader and quickly jumps off his back before his or Gatsura’s bulky Pokemon could get their paws on it lunging at the Soltone with the common bane to all Psychic-types everywhere known as Bite.

Oh no you don’t! Partner to a traitor!” Gatsura roars as he has his Blastoise do Hydro Pump at the much lower level Pokemon who, not only got his ribs busted by the pressure of the attack but it was that same force that thrusted it off Mt. Chimney and to a fate similar to its master.

The legendary sea Captain then glowers viciously at the other Aqua’s who froze in their place. “Do you really think life is always smooth sailing? The next person to attack that Pokemon must go through me first. And that goes for you nosy Magma‘s as well.

Whether it is fear, the realization of impending doom at hand, or the fumes emitted from the volcano that deterred their judgment was what caused a handful of the Aqua and Magma Grunts to rush towards Gatsura and his Pokemon.

The remaining Aqua’s who were loyal to Archie attacked the remaining Magma’s.

The fighting between sides again continued to an even fiercer degree. Amanda just watched the Soltone who just hovered high in the air, swaying back and forth in the tainted skies as though it found amusement in what the humans were doing.

Gritting her teeth to mentally curse herself, the 22-year-old Team Magma Executive then takes a look to the shattered land below…

The land she and her cohorts fought so hard to preserve was falling apart right before her eyes: The torn and ravaged lands due to the tremors caused by the meteorite and the Soltone awakening a sleeping giant. The tainted snow that was sullying the lungs of many innocents…this wasn’t what Magma’s dream wanted…

“This… Blast you Aqua… Curse you Red Sun… How could you…” Amanda growls. Pulling out her two remaining Pokeballs. “I’m taking you down for your own and this planets good…Goodbye…”

“I’d think twice before you do anything little woman.” Archie spoke darkly to Amanda. “Aqua has waited too long for this moment…You shall not stop the volcano I will personally make sure of that!”

“You’re a crazy old fool! To that creature what is transpiring is only amusement!” Amanda spoke calmly before giving a malicious smirk.

The look that slowly formed on Archie’s face was rather a scary one. “THE ONLY THING FOOLISH IS YOUR CONSTANT INTERFERENCE WRETCH! THIS MOUNTAIN SHALL BE YOU AND YOUR GROUPS FINAL RESTING GROUND!!!!!! I BURY THIS ENTIRE PLANET AND ALL IT‘S WICKED INHABITANTS IN THE SEA!!!”

“THEN TRY!” Amanda shouts just as enraged.

::RUMBLE::
----------------

(Astral Plains)

May was snapped from her thoughts and onto her rear. Angelique on the other hand stood tall as if she didn’t even feel that heavy tremor.

“You really are an amusing person Hiromi, May.” Angelique comments. “I feel quite satisfied knowing I successfully pulled pried you away from your losing battle with your wild half.”

It didn’t the 13-year-old too long to figure out what she meant.

“That mist! Why’d you-”

“I suppose it’s because you aren’t a third-rate like I originally thought you to be. Or it’s because of our equal ties to the devil’s gift…” Angelique shrugs. “I don’t know myself why I feel I should do this for you.” The raven-haired girl flashed May a cruel little smirk. “But what I do is my choice Hiromi and no one else’s.”

“Wai-” Before May could finish her sentence she fully disappeared.

The only thing she heard was Angelique saying: “Prove your worth. You owe debt to Team Magma now…”

::RUMBLE::

::RUMBLE::

::CRASH!::
----------------
Chapter 19: Race to the top! (Part 2): The parties are assembled! Go for broke!
---------------

(Verdanturf Pokemon Center)
(Intensive Care Unit)

::RUUMMMMBLLLE::

“Ugh my head…” Groaned the voice of 13-year-old May Hiromi who was in a sprawled position on the damaged Poke Center floor. May blankly sat up to hold her throbbing forehead before she realized her location. And what was around her wrist. “So I’m back…”

“Ar”

That cute little squeak came from the same little Aron that May met when she was in New Mauville and gave the Silk Scarf to which he wore proudly. In comparison to last the 13-year-old met the baby Pokemon it looked a lot healthier, it’s metal body was also hardened to a regular Aron’s style meaning that it must of undertook a healthy diet that promotes its growth.

The Aron walked up to May or as he always sees and visualizes her as: A beautiful princess with a long white dress and flowing chestnut brown hair that went down to her legs and stared at her with large twinkling eyes.

May lightly sweatdrops at the sight. “So, what brings you all the way out here? … Wherever here is.”

The Aron quirks up and begins to tug at the Silk Scarf until he finally managed to pull it from around his neck and gently puts in front of May’s feet.

“So you came all this way…and went through all this just to-” May smiles warmly at the Steel/Rock Pokemon and ties the scarf around the little one’s neck again. “Keep it. It’s a gift after all.”

Hearing that the Jolly Rock/Steel Dino Pokemon jumped about happily. That was until the Pink and green haired Nurse Joy and her Pokemon Pikachu and Jigglypuff stared at him and May in surprise.

-----------
(Upstairs: The Main lobby)

“People please!” Wanda pleas as she shields Fred and the other two injured Magma Grunts who also had no choice but to also take shelter in the Verdanturf Pokemon Center from some of the angry Verdanturf residents who were attempting to walk over and beat the living day lights out them.

“Wanda, back away this instant!” The mayor of Verdanturf growls. “It’s because of despicable people like these that our region is under going such destruction now!”

“Yeah! Why are you defending pond-scum like them!” One woman screams.

A bodybuilder who lives next door to Wanda spoke in just as much annoyance but was more sympathetic in tone. “Wanda, we understand your unbiased concern for others but…These men deserve no help…They and Team Aqua are both responsible for Hoenn’s current apocalyptic situation…We should just throw their asses out in there to suffer like more than half of Verdanturf’s sickly residents are right now! Like Wally! Have you not even once thought about him?”

“Wally…” Wanda murmured. “…I am a doctor first! A doctor must not allow things like emotions to cloud their judgment. A person in need of medical attention is a person in need of medical attention. That is that.”

One man who was on the brink of his sanity grabs Wanda by her shirt collar. Just to get a broken jawbone by Wanda’s Martial Artist boyfriend.

“Why you-” The man growls at Tony who only gave the ill-mannered fellow an icy glare.

Before any further tensions could be released Fred puts an understanding hand on Wanda’s shoulder. She quickly helps the injured man up. Fred then begins his speech. “Don’t waste your time you two… These people would never understand what either group is trying to achieve…”

“What’s there to understand you arrogant monster!” A woman holding her crying child roars as tears rolled down her cheeks. “You people only do as you please, destroy what you want then have the bloody nerve to say it’s for the good of humanity!!!…”

The woman shook with anger as she sees Fred’s unmoved face. “YOU PEOPLE MAKE ME SICK TO MY STOMACH! BOTH GROUPS ARE BELOW ALL THAT IS HUMAN!!! NOW LOOK! LOOK WHAT YOU SELFISH B*STARDS CAUSED! YOU RUNINED IT FOR US ALL!!!”

Fred pulls out a cigarette, which is risky considering his condition. Seemingly unphased and continued his speech. “Right, were the selfish ones? We’re the ones who take natures bounty for granted and now as we speak we are locked in a fight to the bitter end to see if we can rectify an untimed anomaly that is tearing Hoenn apart.”

The sudden silence surprised the Grunt this only bolstered his verbal ammunition. “Heheh, It’s funny you don’t seem to be screaming profanities at me any longer. What‘s wrong? I was enjoying the idea of bathing in your ignorance… Like any person, we fight for what we believe in. I want to make places like Verdanturf all around the world with the expanded land. Maxie says it‘s possible with a lot of hardwork and being able to overcome many hardships.”

Many people remained silent but still had the courage to give the man nasty looks. Fred ignored this and continued.

“People like you oppose Magma and Aqua because you feel that the world is fine as it is…Because you don’t look at those around you you’re too busy looking at yourselves and wondering what shoes you’ll wear…Maybe my assumptions are too biased but none the less. If you want to stop the dreams of either side prepare for a war! Every single member of both groups has there own aspiration for joining Aqua and Magma. Remember that. Yuji, Touya let’s go.”

“Ugh, Where to?” Yuji asked the cell leader as he holds his ribs. Fred smirks. “Didn’t you get Veronica’s message. Amanda needs back-up. Whether we make it is up to fate to decide.”

“This is my Hospital and no one else’s.” Growled the voice of Nurse Joy as she helped carry a very physically fatigued May. “And no one, I repeat, NO ONE will leave the premises in this harsh condition: Aqua, Magma, rich, poor, young, old. You are all welcome to stay here!”

Fred smiled warmly at the Pink and green haired Pokemon nurse and waved. “Sorry, you can’t make me change my mind this time…”

“Then I‘m coming too…” May manages to speak as she limps over to the Magma‘s. Making everyone turn to her as if she was nuts.

“Do you know what you’re asking to do little girl?” Fred asked the 13-year-old.

“I don’t see Mia or Wally anywhere…” May mutters before quickly turning to Fred and the other two dumbfounded Magma’s. “Well,” She began. “Can you take me to Mt. Chimney? Like you I have business there.”

Many including the Magma’s just wrinkled their noses a bit in disgust at the girl’s attitude.

“Oh and what business could a child have there?” The mayor scolds May only to end up a bit unnerved by the harshness of her icy feral glare.

Fred, being the leader of the group quickly spoke. “Do what you want kid. I only have one thing to say: No stragglers. You better hold your weight and keep up with our pace. You look like you’re about to collapse at any given moment. Why don’t you just rest and count your blessings, what’s left of them anyway.”

“I told you…I have business up there…Well it’s more like a debt to pay than business.”

A pessimistic 16-year-old trainer who had been listening in on the whole situation only laughs at what he sees it as: May’s lack of sight. “Heh. You kids these days…You think anything is possible just because you set your mind to it… You watch too much anime…”

“And you’re just another loudmouth Coward!” Nurse Joy screams in May’s defense. This outburst from the Pokemon Nurse shocked many. “How come when it comes down to it people like you are the first to break down. Crying about what you could have done in life what should be done. Thinking of yourself and always, ALWAYS putting down someone who has a light of courage in their heart! Things are bleak now yes, but what’s whining gonna prove?”

Utter silence was the bulk of the citizens’ answer.

The 16-year-old smirks. “You really are a friggin’ idiot aren’t you? Then I’ll say it slowly so it can fall into that thick skull of yours: WE-ARE-GOING-TO-DIE! IT’S OVER!! LIFE AS WE KNOW IT IS OV-AWWP!”

Before the rude teen could continue yelling he knocked square in the face by the quiet Touya. “Have a bit more respect for your elders especially when they’re women.” The rather chivalrous Magma Grunt growls. “Mainly one who lets you seek shelter here and used to be Fred‘s-”

“Enough.” Fred starts. “We wasted enough time on these hapless fools. Let’s move.”

“Wait! Girl!” Wanda calls out to May before handing her goggles, an air filter mask, her phanny pack, Alia, who greeted May as if nothing ever happened between them. And the Great Ball that contains the Pokemon Mrs. Stone left for her. “You may not know me too well but-”

“It’s ok” May softly answers. “I don’t know why but I feel I owe a lot to you…So, Thank you for all you’ve done for me.”

“Just make sure you find out what happened to my Wally and bring him and Mia back safely…Be careful…”

With a simple nod May agrees to Wanda’s request and leaves with the Magma’s with little Aron following closely behind.

-----------
(Outside)

“Pretty heart warming scene back there kiddo.” Fred addressed May. “You sure you don’t want to stay behind?”

“May’s too hardheaded to listen to anyone.” Alia comments dryly. “But it’s her usually bratty behavior that usually leads us down the path we need.”

“Thanks Al…Remind me to add your words to a resume…” May face faults. Alia, who was just happy to have her friend back quickly matches May’s sarcasm with a dry “No problem.”

“Well, it’s not like the Pokedex is lying Hiromi. You are quite thick-skulled.” Steven Stone greets as he stood calmly ontop of a ravaged home. Only jumping down to face his baby sister’s best friend, traveling companion and mentor.

“You...” May mutters. "Why are you here?"

Steven shrugs. “Stopping a person from risking their lives without a clue...”

“I'll live, thanks.”

“Live? You can bearly walk.” Yuji comments.

Feeling that there wasn't too much time to waste needlessly areguing with the 13-year-old Steven releases Whirlpool the Zigzagoon, Lightning the Electrike and Tsunami the Torchic from their Pokeballs to greet their trainer after months of separation…

Well, Whirlpool and Lightning did anyway. Tsunami, who bared the most injures just stood in her place looking at the ground too ashamed to face May.

May looks at Tsunami blankly before she crawls over to her and pokes her feathered face teasingly, only muttering. “You think your so tough you little brat.”

“Chi…” Tsunami chirps softly as tears forms in her cute black eyes.

‘Finally they forgave each other.’ Lightning mentally sighs. ‘I really thought Tsunami would die of grief back in the Center.’

‘Good. Now all we need is to see them argue and everything will be back to normal.’ Whirlpool smiles before noticing Aron who saw this scene as a very touching one as the beautiful princess hugs her long lost royal pet in a sparkling background.

‘Beautiful…’ The Level 5 Pokemon mummers, forcing Whirlpool and Lightning sweatdrop.

“Unfortunately Hiromi.” Steven began. “Due to a very untimed mix-up your Shroomish was mistook for Wally’s Pokemon and was rushed with him to the Intensive Care room in the Hospital.”

May stopped hugging Tsunami and looked at Steven very vexed. Before the chestnut-haired girl could ask any questions Steven continues his serious tone. “As soon as I turned my back Mia had Wally’s friends act as a decoy so she could sneak off to Mt. Chimney and confront Teams Magma and Aqua alone.”

After hearing that May quickly, yet painstakingly picks herself up and attempt to run.

Steven quickly grabs the girl by her left wrist. “In your condition you won’t get far. But that won’t stop you will it?” Steven sighs before he comes to his answer.

Carrying May (who struggled at first was overall too psychically exhausted to continue doing so) on his back Steven quickly runs through the demolished Route 117 with May’s Pokemon. Save for Tsunami who Lightning carried on her back due to her injuries

“Hey! You mind slowing down a bit? Not all of us were track and field medal winners Y‘know!” Yuji yells at Steven who turns to him at shoulders length while still moving.

“How did that saying go… Something about stragglers being left behind?”

“Got us there.” Touya frowns.

“So why did you allow Mia to run off on her own if you know the danger she putting herself in?” May growls at the 19-year-old.

“She is a Stone. There isn’t an obstacle alive that can overcome our proud bloodline.”

May gives the 19-year-old a skeptical look.

“Though, I have to admit.” Steven coughs. “The influence and impression you’ve made upon her was the only true reason why Mia has grown to accept her proud heritage. That’s something that not Father, Mother or even I could accomplish. Kudos to you Hiromi…Your drive is contagious.”

“Mia…” May mummers.

Isaac Gravity March 2nd, 2005 11:51 PM

Cont
----------------
(Mt. Chimney)
(Somewhere along the mountain where Hikers love to climb)

10-year-old Mia Stone rested quietly ontop of Brendan Birch’s Ponyta nicknamed Ivy.

As he, his Flare Horse Pokemon the fatigued child genius and new companion along with them: 17-year-old Lavaridge Town Gym leader Flannery climbed upwards to the top of Mt. Chimney where all is loose between Aqua Magma and the Soltone.

Brendan looks over to the sleeping Mia with a concerned look on his face.

“Hey she’s gonna be fine.” Flannery assures the 13-year-old with a grin. “After all you saw it. She single-handedly defeated that Gyarados all by herself only an Ivysaur and Treecko combination to do it. She’s just exhausted is all…‘sides” She adds. “She safely atop that cute Ponyta of yours who’s going up with ease We‘re the ones who have to be careful.”

Brendan scowls at the 17-year-old before murmuring. “Quit trying to act cool. I‘m surprised you even came out here considering the danger Lavaridge is in.”

Brendan accidentally sets his foot on a loose rock and losses his grip almost falling to his doom if Flannery hadn’t been there to grab his wrist and pull him up.

“And you need to learn how to mountain climb.” She counters. “Your skills are similar to an Ariados on a leaking water spout. My hometown is smack-dab in that volcanoes path. We used this advantage for our great Hot springs resort. But the only flaw is if Mt. Chimney erupts Lavaridge and everyone in it is doomed! As Lavaridge’s newest Gym Leader I must protect my home now matter what!”

“I see…”

“Besides” Flannery smirks as she puffs out her chest proudly. “The only Pokemon I have left is my Torkoal…Since you were the only person in months to defeat an Elite trainer such as myself I felt it wise to enlist your help.”

“You enlisted my help!?”

Flannery shrugs before giving Brendan a wink. “It really doesn’t matter does it? We’re both on the same side and we should act as such. Children today are so ill-mannered…Oh, and don‘t slip ‘cuz I won‘t always be there to save you Numel.”

And with that Flannery continued climbing up the mountain.

Brendan only shook his head annoyed but continued his trek up the mountain never the less.
----------------
(Mt. Chimney)
(Where Aqua and Magma is)


Mutinous, cowardly DOGS!!!” Ryukyu Gatsura’s voice roared as he and his muscular Pokemon Blastoise and now fully evolved Exploud fought their way through all those that opposed them. May it be Magma or Aqua.
Aside from those that snapped under the pressure the remaining Aqua’s and Magma’s who kept their heads continued to fight each other, as did their leaders.

To the Soltone who at first watched and mentally snickered at the events transpiring before it quickly grew disgusted/bored with these Flesh and bone creations fighting fruitlessly over things that it knows they have no might to truly control.

…Humans had no might…But as for it…

…As for the many creatures known as Pokemon…

They could control the elements. Hell, they were just animal incarnations of each of nature’s bounty secretly there to keep the balance that man is so blindly wiping out…

…And the two-in-one Pokemon combination had enough of cleaning up after man‘s many mistakes…Why the hell did it allow itself to be ruled for so long? Why the hell didn’t it see it before?

Maybe it was just too weak as a Solrock/Lunatone alone to do. One Psychic/Rock type couldn’t hope to defeat all those fleshlings but a combination with it’s brother and with the help of the meteorite from outer space that did nothing but praise it with ultimate power to rule. It could now become king! Make man into the slaves they turned Pokemon…

Meh! Screw that! What has other Pokemon done for it recently? It will rule and rule alone!

…But first…

With the meteorite there to amplify it’s power the Soltone used of the move Psychic to cause the entire Mt. Chimney to shake violently. Causing some Aqua’s and Magma’s that fought too close to the edge of the Mountain to fall to their doom.

This forced everyone to stop in their place to finally acknowledge the Soltone if they hadn’t thought of it as a potential threat already.

Too little too late…

The Pokemon then began to glow with a sparkling fiery aura as little spurts of flames began to shoot from its body.

It began as small waves until those waves turned into a very strong Psywave attack which literally cut through the thick air and some Magma’s and Aqua’s who were too close.

An attack at this caliber would’ve easily cut a huge man like Ryukyu Gatsura in half if it wasn’t for his Blastoise and Exploud who jumped in front of the legendary sea captain taking the brunt of the hit.

The impact of the hit cracked right through the hard shell of the mecha tortoise Pokemon that protected his allies from the brunt of the attack…Regardless all three were launched off the mountain due to the attack.

The Solrock/Lunatone combination then made an ear piercing screeching noise that brought many to their knees.

Floating high into the air, the two-in-one Pokemon combination began to again manipulate the meteorites power causing the pulsating outer space rock. The skies began to turn black a powerful wave of psychic energy suddenly burst from out of the creature and spread to fifty-yard radius.

The noise wasn’t one that humans could hear; but like the silent killer carbon monoxide which has no smell so Humans and animals die from breathing too much of it’s deadly fumes in.

The noise triggered by the Solrock/Lunatone combination was an attack that attacks the brainwaves. This caused made many crumble to their knees or made those with a weaker will black out.

--------------
(Mt. Chimney)
(Where Brendan and co. are)

“Finally a path where we can walk.” Brendan pants.

Flannery nudges Brendan to show that they still have one more climb ahead of them as she gestures to the very steep wall.

This forced the snow colored haired boy to sigh slightly.

Ivy the Ponyta’s ears twitch and she begins to whinny loudly in pain while standing on her hind legs.

The Ponyta’s actions forced Mia off her back and on her back in a harsh manner. This didn’t wake the 10-year-old; she just shook off the situation as apart of her dream.

“Ivy?” Brendan called out to his Pokemon before the sudden rush from Soltone’s attack reached him and Flannery too.

The 13-year did his best to resist it but was overwhelmed by the invisible assassin.

The 17-year-old Lavaridge Gym Leader fell to her knees as she struggled with all of her will power withstand the invisible sound waves.

‘Gr-Grandpa…’ Was the only word that popped up in Flannery’s mind.

Not too much a surprise that she would think of this… Flannery’s Grandfather is one of the greatest influences and reasons of her high amount of pride in her life.

At heart, Flannery is actually a kind and very insecure teenager with a lot of talent in the field of Pokemon battle.

Well, one would say it’s in her blood; after all, her Grandfather was once the leader of Hoenn’s Elite Four before finally defeated 10-years ago and replaced by Glacia the woman who fights with flaring ice.

For the Flannery’s grandfather he thought his life ended as soon as he lost to this cold spirited woman whose comment to him after sweeping him was: “Face it old man. Times are changing and your so-called flames are just inadequate now. As they always were…It was only a matter of time before you were ousted…”

The well-known battler lost to a woman who not only came out of nowhere but also knew no true meaning of the battle spirit. This made him lose all hope in the new generation of trainers coming to be… All trainers now-a-days only coveted the prestigious title of Pokemon Master and only want to be the best yet fail what the point of what being trainer really means.

With his life as a trainer over and his beloved wife’s recent passing, The old timer spent more and more time focused on his young granddaughter and his old passion of martial arts ever since…

“Gr-Grandpa…” Flannery weakly mummers, struggling with everything she had to keep her consciousness. “I promised …to…fight with…I can‘t fall here!!!

‘And I don’t intend on dying here either’ Ivy mentally whines as she continues to whinny loudly while her mane flared up fiercely, luckily Mia fell off the horse before she got engulfed by the horse’s flames. ‘Just who do think you are taking over my mind!’

‘I am the future ruler of that I survey.’ Soltone spoke back telepathically to the flare horse. ‘You’re strong. Or so it seems. Not like those weak humans you make yourself slave to.’

‘I am no ones slave! I and I alone chose to protect and travel with the boy He promised me he‘d help me find Honzo.’

‘Why do you deceive yourself? What’s weaker than a disgusting human is a Pokemon slave doll who makes themselves act as a human’s tool… You’re fate is sealed.’

Shut up! I heard all I wanted from you, freak!’ Ivy mentally roared. ‘Fate and destiny are intertwined matters both are always set and predetermined! You can always change your own destiny!’

The flame on flare horse’s mane grows stronger and stronger. Flannery weakly watched the fire Pokemon’s resistance; her heart growing with an even deeper determination to show the superiority of fire.

‘And your predetermined destiny is to slain by the fleshlings and what you call slave dolls…Because one thing is certain…No one Human, tamed Pokemon or wild Pokemon want you as their RULER! NOW BEGONE! VILE ABOMINATION!!

Ivy then uses all of her energy to unleash the TM gift that Flannery rewarded Brendan for defeating her a fire move she created herself with the help of one of her Grandfather’s old colleague named Blaine called Overheat.

The attack did nothing initially, but the act of defiance made the Soltone stop his assault since that little tactic wouldn’t work on the more stubborn ones like that Ponyta its human companions, Archie, Amanda and a few remaining Aqua and Magma Grunts and their Pokemon.

It’ll let all those annoying insects gather where he is and be crushed once and for all in one fell swoop.

With this in mind the Solrock/Lunatone combination just floated into the sky and hovered there, making little scratching noises as if laughing at everyone’s fate.

“Red Sun…” Amanda mummers pulling out a Pokeball containing her Swellow “You’re too arrogant…Haze! Steel Wing that monstrosity this instant!”

“We’re not done! Little lady!” Archie growls at Amanda as he orders his Crawdaunt to intercept the attack. Leaving Amanda to glare heatedly at him. “You fool! This is above you!”

“That creature is the building blocks to my plans…I will not let you’re disgusting family RUIN MY PLANS YET AGAIN!”

“Blast you…Haze! Quick attack that wretched lobster!”

As Amanda yet again lost her chance to attack the Pokemon the Soltone just watched with a bemused point-of-view.

----------------
(Back where Brendan and co. are)

“Finally awake?” Flannery smirks at Brendan who held his head in pain. Mia quickly walks over to him and uses an alcohol swab to clean up his wounds.

“Thanks Mia but I’ll be fine.”

“I know… but if May-san ever saw you like this she’d wanna have the head of the one who did it. Besides…I don’t like seeing my friends hurt.”

“You must feel pitiful now.” Flannery further teased the snow colored hair boy. Brendan only tosses a light scowl in her direction as Mia continues to bandage him.

I hope you traitors don‘t intend to rely on those land spoilers for too long…Because when I’m through with you not a first aid kit in the seas can save you.” Ryukyu Gatsura growls dangerously at the children as he limps over to them.

Gatsura was covered with blood, cuts and bruises. His outfit was torn a bit and the agony of loss was written all over his face but that didn’t stop the deranged man from glaring icily at Brendan and co.

“What do you mean by traitors sir?” Mia politely asked the deluded fellow. “We…don’t too well know you…to ever betray you…”

You're just disgusting weak-willed traitors to the sea…Only true people of the sea would allow their own wounds to heal on their own…My Pokemon and I spent years upon years taking each cut and scar and then licking our wounds with our tongues or the beautiful grace known as the sea…

Flannery wrinkles her nose in an annoyed fashion. “Yeah, well goodie for you. But look at yourself your in need of immediate medical attention…”

As I said my Pokemon and I need no medical attention…all we need is to aid in the complete in the finishing of Aqua’s plan.

“AND AT WHAT COST!” Mia yelled at the man.

Brendan never saw the 10-year-old lose her temper before, so this surprised him.

Flannery on the other hand just smirked. “…Look beyond the this mountain and what do you see? That’s right you see what used to be happiness turned into a nightmarish realm… People and loved one’s are suffering and dying as we speak…How can you people be so selfish?”

Selfish things don’t come without sacrifices…Just a while ago my closet Pokemon partner threw his life away just to make sure Exploud and I live to see the next day…It’s a hard life either way…But at least I can know that when Aqua’s plans are complete and the Great Sea is finally formed washing away all these disgusting modern day conveniences that make Human and Pokemon lazy and weak that Blastoise’s sacrifice wasn’t in vain.

Mia pretty much figured that everyone has their reasons for what they do in life. She found this understanding when traveling around with May and watched the 13-year-old constantly have to fight with the decisions of have her and her Pokemon allies fight on or run, kill or be killed, live or die.

Before Mia could think to say Brendan spoke in her place. “Well too bad. You already had your Pokemon make a foolish sacrifice over your own obsessive ambitions.”

What.

“Brendan!” Mia gasped.

Flannery just egged on Brendan’s words. “He’s right you know. Know one ever told you, Team Aqua or Magma to do what you do. You do it on your own free will. In fact, Know one wants an expanded sea! The world is already in fine balance! But if it came down to if I must choose…then I have to go with Magma for the belief of spreading more land for those needs homes! And because they‘re principles are more…I don‘t know believable.”

Silence followed by a respective face fault and sweatdrop was both Brendan and Mia’s response.

“But” Flannery continued. “In the end words and actions are two different things! And I’m here to stop the destruction and madness caused by both groups! Now get of my way!”

You dare to mock my dreams and then order me…” Gatsura growls as he narrowed his eyes full of malice and warning. “…You won’t live to do that again…

As soon as Gatsura said those words his Exploud bursts from out of the rocks also bloodied and full of cuts and bruises, some of its old scars and wound actually opened up. The Pokemon then quickly turned to Ivy who struggled to get near Brendan and shield him and used Hyper Voice on the already weakened Flare Horse.

The impact of the power sound wave attack knocked Ivy off all fours and on her sides. Before the horse could fall of the cliffs edge Brendan quickly recalled his ally and looked at the smug Gatsura with anger.

The Exploud then rushed at the trio of Humans at full force pulling back its fist and readied to punch the closest thing. Flannery shoes Brendan to the left and tackle shoves Mia to the right to avoid the attack.

Ragnarok the Marshtomp popped out his ball without warning and bravely leaped forward and used the move Iron Tail in hopes of cracking his foes skull.

Exploud’s fist glow with a bright white shine as it throws his punch at Ragnarok’s direction with a powerful Custom Tactic that literally ripped at the ground just by the punches force called Shining fist.

End Chapter 19
------------------

1. May learned from the Verdant Nurse Joy of the situation of Mt. Chimney and of Team Aqua and Magma’s bout there. May figured this was what Angelique meant by paying a debt to Magma their lighthouse beckon of the new world.

2. Numel are stereotyped to be: blunt, clumsy and not bright creatures. That’s why Flannery called Brendan that. Which is weird since Brendan is the complete opposite of that. I don’t really think Numel are “stupid” though…Despite what the Pokedex in Ruby/Sapphire say…

For those who might say: “You hypocrite then what about how you portrayed Brendan’s Numel in Chapter 11?” Well, to answer that I wasn’t trying to make him look stupid. I was just trying to convey the little guy as one who lives in his own little world, completely ignorant to the dangers/evils around him.

The same could be said about the joke about Machokes made in Chapter 1: It was May’s opinion on the matter. Personally, I think they’re pretty smart considering the fact they wear a belt to stabilize their strength levels and must know how much power is too much.

Well anyway: Next- Chapter 20- The Burning Soul battle!

Isaac Gravity March 5th, 2005 9:18 PM

Disclaimer- I don’t own Pokemon or anything else
-------------

(Mt. Chimney)
(Where Brendan and co. are)

The two attacks: Ragnarok’s Iron Tail and Exploud’s Custom Tactic: Shining Fist canceled each other out. Both Pokemon leap to their respect sides but Ragnarok wobbles a bit

Good the soul thread has been created.” Gatsura smirks.

Brendan and others just looks at him puzzled but hate his guts too much to ever ask him what he means. So Gatsura continues to lecture these as he sees them: Inexperienced whelps.

My partners Custom Tactic Shining fist is just a move to test his foes courage and see if they will guard counter or flee from the attack. Once contact is made the field to the trainers fighting soul is open and then the true fight begins when both the Trainer and Pokemons honor and life is at stake…By the way what a nice oceanic feeling your fighting spirit emits boy. Why would a fellow brother of the sea resist Aqua?

“I resist…because I have something more precious to fight for…” The 13-year-old admits. Brendan then smiles at Ragnarok who nods at him. “Losing here means losing my dreams.”

“That’s why you aren’t going to fight alone!” Mia bravely spoke up as she calls out Hiro the Treecko and walks next to Brendan. “I also want to protect those I love…And I won‘t die here I won‘t let what May-san taught me go to waste!”

Flannery smiles at the two younger trainers before calling out her Torkoal. “If we can’t beat this guy then we have no right going any further. After all he did threaten all our lives.”

Your loyalty towards one another is commendable…” Gatsura spoke respectfully. “BUT you yet to see a true battle until you fought with raw power! Be glad that I, the great Ryukyu Gatsura is going to show you this!

‘Something isn’t right’ Mia mentally rambled before addressing to Brendan. “Brendan, may I see your battle scanner for a moment?”

“Already ahead of you…” Brendan grimaced as he pulls out his A.I. Travel companion Ciel and activates her battle scan system. In comparison to Alia who lives for battle data Ciel’s looked a lot less impressive but was accurate non-the-less. “Oh,” The snow colored hair boy adds. “Her name is Ciel.”

“No time for casualties Brendan!” The usually introvert personality Pokedex spoke. “I’ll begin the scan if it‘s ok with you…”

Brendan and Mia both looked at the collected levels of each Pokemon on the battlefield while Gatsura just gave a disgusted look at Ciel or what he considered: Another cursed useless contraption of the lazy land dwellers.

“Hmm.” Brendan confirms the situation. “Ok, Exploud is only Level 45 while we have a Level 28 Treecko, Level 36 Torkoal and Ragnarok whose Level 34.”

Hearing this, Flannery puts her hands by her hips and smirks at Gatsura in a taunting way. “Hey? Don’t you realize whom your dealing with? You might as well slink back to your rowboat right now. You’re playing with an elite trainer now.”

Brendan looks at Flannery smugly. “And if I beat you I must be a few ranks above an elite.”

::Whack!::

Brendan just rubs the bruise on the back of his head while scowling at Flannery who just glared at him.

Gatsura also couldn’t help but throw a wicked smirk himself as he murmured something about stupid children.

Brendan and Flannery passed off his confidence as a bluff. Mia however, took his overly relaxed attitude to consideration.

‘We out number him yet he’s so confident…’ The Indigo eyed 10-year-old mentally frets through gritted teeth. ‘What are you hiding?’

Exploud!” Gatsura orders his Pokemon. “Show them what a true battle with might really is! And don’t skimp on a single detail!

Exploud makes a running start and with a mighty leap launches himself into the air and down towards his opponents.

-------------------
Chapter 20- The Burning Soul Battle!
---------------------

(Mt. Chimney)
(Somewhere along the start of the mountain path where Hikers love to climb)

“Hey, sleepy-head.” Steven addresses a resting May. “You aren’t really expecting me to piggyback ride you all the way up the mountain are you?”

Considering May’s utter silence for the last thirty minutes the 19-year-old Hoenn champion began to become a little nervous.

‘I knew it’ He inwardly grumbled. ‘She wasn’t in any condition to go anywhere to begin with…. All I seem to do lately is baby-sit…’

Steven gently placed May by a rock and saw that her cheeks were rosy. “Perfect, she’s sick.” The 19-year-old rolls his eyes as he feels her forehead confirming a fever most likely caused by all of May‘s sudden movement after just recovering.

As Steven rummaged through his travel bag for some medicine he failed to notice that Tsunami the Torchic was also suffering from the same conditions. The only difference was that small flickers of flames sparked from the Chick Pokemon’s body acting like she was feeling pain from her own heated body. This worried her Pokemon allies a lot.

“Hiromi, come on wake up.” Steven shook the 13-year-old, vaguely removing her from her slumber. “Here, drink this. You should be lucky I hold a lot of homemade herbal remedies on me…But it’s a bit contradicting to do so being the fact that I hardly become ill.”

“NO!” May screamed as she managed to crawl a few feet away from Steven. Her eyes looked very sick and distant. “I had my share of medicine for a lifetime! Get that garbage away from me!”

‘She’s delirious…’ Steven sympathetically thought as he put the drink away. “Ok Hiromi, we’ll play it your way… You better not collapse or die of dehydration.”

Taking May’s silence as a whatever, Steven focuses on how he was going to get up that mountain without the tram.

The Hoenn Champ then gets an idea and starts it by calling out his most powerful Pokemon Metagross and suggests it to climb up the mountain and see if it can create a type of safe walking path.

Metagross did as it was ordered. Using its sharp metal claws the steel crab Pokemon began to scuttle up the rocky wall.

Whirlpool the Zigzagoon, Lightning the Electrike and Tsunami the Torchic who was dragged by Lightning since the chick Pokemon became too hot to carry on her back without getting scorched; hitched a ride on Metagross upon May’s orders.

In-order to stay on of the steel crab Pokemon’s back while it made its vertical climb; Lightning charges the ions in her body to create a magnetic cling to keep herself and her allies on him. This tactic did irk the Metagross some, but it basically felt like a mere tingeing sensation.

Steven didn’t even bother to question the stubborn girl.

“Good, a weak rock structuring only four feet away from Metagross.” Steven silently replies as he watched the Pokemon trek from his binoculars.

May weakly nods as she tries to stand but just falls on her rear, still in a bit of a blur. “al-Alright! Leave the rest to me…Whirlpool! Rock Smash!

Whirlpool grins and jumps off Metagross only to land on rocks a few feet below the scuttling metal creature run back up the mountain at full speed and leap off the Steel Crab Pokemon for a huge boost of momentum before rolling itself into a little fuzz ball with rock breaking power.

“Are you insane?” Steven yells at the 13-year-old. “Your Zigzagoon is doing what most with sense call a suicide move! Also,” The 19-year-old adds. “Rock Smash’s power depends on the Pokemon.”

Whirlpool combine the Rock Smash with Double Team immediately!

Steven watched in pure surprise as he considered: the little fuzz ball slowly broke into five doppelgangers of itself.

The five doppelgangers all broke into five more each and all collies into the weak rock structure. Destroying it effortlessly.

‘Shouldn’t have expected less…’ Steven inwardly smirks before becoming serious. “Metagross! Protect!

A strong barrier formed around Metagross and its passengers, shielding them all from the falling rubble.

Now Metagross! Finish the job with Earthquake!

Metagross lifted its front right claw and stabbed the rock wall in front of it. This caused a small crease to climb up the wall before it completely cracked apart which caused more rubble to fall.

Whatever Steven had in mind didn’t happen.

Metagross began to scuttle up the wall it as well as May’s Pokemon were sent plummeting to a lower area of the mountain by a sneak attack from a very pissed off Steelix.

-------------
(Where Brendan and co. is)
(Before the Steelix attack)

Exploud makes a running start and with a mighty leap launches himself into the air and down towards his opponents. The muscular Sound Pokemon then launches a strong Hyper Voice at the trio of Pokemon.

“Torkoal Flamethrower now!” Flannery hastily orders her fire turtle Pokemon.

Torkoal quickly launches the attack straight at the Hyper Voice. Both the distanced attacks cancel each other out causing a mid air explosion as bits of fire to rain down on Brendan and the others which lightly burned their skin and created small holes in their clothes.

Out from the smoke from the canceled out attacks was the Exploud, who was coming straight at his foes fist first.

Torkoal nods to Hiro the Treecko and Ragnarok the Marshtomp as a heavy amount of smoke escapes from her body creating a Smoke Screen.

That doesn’t stop Exploud, who launches his punch right into Hiro who was the closest target.

The Sound Pokemon gave a content look as he saw the pained look on the Tree Gecko Pokemon only to see him give a toothed smirk before his along with the images of Torkoal, Ragnarok, Flannery, Brendan and Mia all turn into grass stumps that ensnare the Muscular Sound monster with whip-like roots as they plant themselves and the Exploud into the ground.

The Exploud struggles with all might and bears a strained yet irritated look as he sees his foes and their trainers circling around him.

Ragnarok breathes life into plants by splashing a strong Water Gun in their direction while Hiro stands in his place, roots all around him as he uses the life draining Mega Drain.

Exploud felt as though his entire life force was being sucked out of him.

Wanting to see the next day, the Exploud musters all of his remaining strength and makes a loud ear-piercing screech.

That breaks both Ragnarok’s and Hiro concentration but begins to crack some of the weaker rock formation on Mt. Chimney.

Due to the loud cries of the Exploud, some boulders gave away and began to tumble downwards toward the battle below…Specifically where Hiro the Treecko stood.

Since the Gecko Pokemon was rooted to the ground he couldn’t defend himself or run away even if he wanted to.

“Hiro!” Mia screams as she runs over and shields her Pokemon from near doom forgetting or not caring about what happens to her.

“Ragnarok! Iron Tail!”

Upon Brendan’s orders the Relaxed natured Mudfish Pokemon leaps into action and crushes the giant boulder that threatened to hurt his allies with one powerful strike with his fin-like tail that glowed with bright silver.

With Mia and Hiro safe, Ragnarok used the larger bits of the plummeting boulders to leap and smashed the next nearest rock whether it is with the Iron Tail attack or with his bear hands or feet.

Torkoal quickly joined in the attacks by melting any and all falling fragments from Ragnarok’s attacks with Flamethrower.

Impressive,” Gatsura compliments Brendan’s Pokemon. “But like the trainer it’s still too soft…”

Brendan noticed all the cuts and bruises forming on Ragnarok‘s being as the quickly growing fatigued mudfish continued to break some falling rocks. It didn’t help that Brendan himself started to feel a sudden burning sting sensation run within his hands and lower arms.

The boy quickly saw why: His gloves and lower sleeves of his sweater were mysteriously torn. His knuckles were bleeding badly as were his hands and arms that were riddled with cuts…

With the group’s attention busy. A sharp rock cuts Exploud’s right arm free from the roots vile grasp.

Exploud then uses his free hand to ram his hands into the ground and pull the roots out from the ground.

Doing so also caused Hiro, who was still rooted, to be dragged from where he stood and towards the muscular Sound Pokemon who first used him and the roots as a kind of ball and chain weapon to hit the fatigued Ragnarok from behind and right into Brendan.

You all seem to hold high regard for each other yet your abilities to work together are horrid.” Gatsura further his taunts.

Exploud then took it upon himself to rip Hiro from the roots which really hurt considering that he was attached to them at the moment. Then slammed him to the ground like a spoiled child who didn’t have any further use for their rag-doll without any mercy.

The Muscular Sound Pokemon completed his act of cruelty by eating the roots for himself, recovering some lost energy.

Isaac Gravity March 5th, 2005 9:23 PM

Cont
-----------------------

HIRO!!!” Mia screams horrified as she suddenly felt her whole body go suddenly numb.

“Mia! Get it together we haven’t lost yet!” Flannery screams at the 10-year-old as Torkoal, who hid inside of her shell, used the move Fire Spin to act a motor to spin into the scene to whisk Hiro away from any further torment.

“I know the real reason why this guy’s Pokemon seems so superior to ours…”

Both, Brendan and Mia weakly turn to Flannery.

Flannery nods. “Haven’t either of you honor students heard of the Pokemon Parameter Share System?”

“I’ve heard May-san talk of this a few times…” Mia admits. “But…She was always referring to the games and the similarities between video games and the real thing are very limited…”

“Well then, this May-san you keep talking about obviously knows her stuff.” Flannery grins before continuing. “As you both know, all Pokemon have a specific talent that make them unique in certain fields: Like the best thing about Zubats is their speed, while a Torkoal, because of their hard shells make them masters of defense. Well, the Pokemon Parameter share system was a theory created by a group of researchers about three years ago found discovered a difference in there Pokemons growth when they raised them in a place full of Zubat and Golbat.”

Brendan realized this as he sat up. “I-I remember that… The whole experiment was a bust since the whole thing was undetermined…”

“Undetermined.” Flannery smirks. “…Until Medium Akane Weinwright came into Slateport City…It was she who determined that Pokemon have a type of odd hidden effort build potential within them that can help them leech their abilities true power.”

Mia looks at Flannery in an understanding manner. “So, you’re saying…”

That I worked blood sweat and tears into my Pokemon so they can not be matched in strength nor speed.” Gatsura boomed as a sudden quake that situated from below started. “Of course combat is considered a sport among men for ages so vitality and stamina is of utmost importance... A man of the sea always takes every tale seriously.

‘So that was it…’ Mia mentally deluges into her thoughts again. ‘He tricked us…It was his vast years of experience and training that made him wield such confidence in his Pokemon…even when he knew what he was up against…’

Knowing he has the advantage Gatsura sneers. “So, what do you children plan on doing from here?

“…Ragnarok…” 13-year-old Brendan Birch called out to his Pokemon. “Mud Shot!”

A surprised look was Mia’s reaction to the snow-colored haired boy’s recent move; a simple grin was Flannery‘s.

Ragnarok the Marshtomp launches himself into the air by spraying Water Gun at full force on the now muddy ground.

“We came this far why should we turn tail now? Because someone told us to?” Brendan spoke knowingly. “When trainers meet opponents like you they’re excited at the prospects of what they can learn from them…And I learned a lot from you…Whether it be positive or negative. I won’t run! From you or this! I‘ll fight!”

“Brendan…” Ciel spoke to her trainer in her usual hushed motherly tone brimming full of pride. “You’re no longer the easily pushed around boy I once knew you as…You’ve grown up so much that I can’t believe that I overlooked it.”

It was kind of hard for Mia to believe that Brendan was shy. Very calm and mature in attitude: sure, a little quiet and very levelheaded: always. But shy? In the Pokemon Academy he was the one always starting conversations in their small, dwindling group of friends.

Not only that but he was always quite defensive for those he cared for…Even if he knew he was going to get the holy hell beaten out of him. Since the Pokemon academy was a boarding school Mia thought of the snow-colored hair boy as a psuedo older brother.

Flannery just shook her head while smiling.

Ryukyu snorts. “Like I was going to allow you to get off that easy boy!

When the sea captain spoke Exploud mimicked the weaker Pokemon’s actions by getting a running start before he used the momentum to jump then use Hyper Voice to launch himself into the air in pursuit of Mudfish.
--------------

(Where May and Steven are)

The Steelix glared icily at Metagross, Lightning, Whirlpool and Tsunami as it made a rather creaky hissing noise attracting many Zubat and Golbat from out of the hole where Steelix popped out from and to hover around it as if entranced by its eerie tune.

The Steelix then glares coldly at Tsunami, and then looks down to Steven, May and little Aron. A wicked look falls upon its already intimidating features.

With a piercing screech made by Steelix, Lightning, Whirlpool, Tsunami and even Metagross freeze up in their place; their bodies, shivering, despite the lack of frozen temperature.

The cruel minded Steelix then uses its mighty tail to swat the Pokemon even further down the mountain leaving them badly injured.

To add insult to injury Steelix then launched Dragonbreath in hopes of finishing off the Pokemon slave dolls. Despite the paralysis Metagross, due to its heavy experience and the fact that it too was a steel type used Protect to shield himself and the others from the attack.

With the distance well enough Metagross was about to send Steelix a nasty splitting experience with Earthquake, the Zubats and Golbats then took it upon themselves to harass The Steel Crab and company.

Things weren’t looking well for Steven and May either. Feeling the shockwave of Steelix’s Screech, four Onix burst from the ground and surrounded the duo and little Aron who gives a low little growl while trying to defend the chestnut haired girl.

The four Onix looked at the tiny Steel Type with amused features. Each of them began to wonder how tasty his steel hide might be.

“Hiromi!” Steven hastily yelled as he grabs the drained girl and rolls away to avoid the first Onix’s attack.

The other two Onix decide to attack together with Rock Throw. “Hiromi now’s not the time to sleep!” Steven desperately shook her to no avail…

Having all he could take, the 19-year-old called out Armaldo who smashed through the rock attacks then parried with Water Pulse that completely defeated two of the attacking Rock Snake Pokemon.

As the Rock-Bug type was about to launch another strong Water Pulse at the fourth Onix who started to burrow into the ground, his attack was block by the steel-like hide of another, smaller Steelix who, like its elder, had great defenses considering all the rich nutrients it absorbed and the hardening of it’s body due to its deep burrowing.

This gave the Onix the time it needed to launch its sneak attack towards Armadlo with Dig.

Despite being a ground attack, the Onix’s power and level wasn’t high enough to even do any real significant damage to the Bug-Rock who made sure that no falling rubble fell to his master and his acquaintance.

“Cradily! Give Armadlo a hand!” Steven orders as he calls out the evolved fossilized plant monster…

::Click::

::Click::

::Click::

The Pokeball fell to the floor while Cradily was trapped inside the ball.

“What’s this!?” The 19-year-old Hoenn Champ shouted incredulously at what he just witnessed. Without any warning an Onix deliberately slammed its tail into the ground a few feet from the Champion.

The impact of the Onix’s heavy tail against the ground knocked Steven back some and made him drop the herbal drink he was about to carefully give to the sleeping 13-year-old who, along with Aron tumbled was also sent tumbling back due to the force.

Steven shakes his other Pokeballs and hears the same clicking noise. The Hoenn Champion looks over Armaldo whose growing weary from fighting the remaining Onix who is working quite well with the Steelix whose covering it flaws.

The 19-year-old then takes note of the horde of Zubat and Golbat hovering around the area. ‘Even though Armaldo appears to hold the advantage here the odds are against him. And Metagross is too busy shielding Hiromi’s Pokemon…’

Making once last scenery check towards the Pokeball containing Cradily that laid a few feet away Steven came to his decision.

Before Steven ‘made his move’ he noticed little Aron run by unnoticed by the larger Pokemon to grab the medicine Steven dropped for May.

The Little Aron then ran as quickly as his tiny legs could carry him as he ran over to the spot he managed to drag May’s fatigued form to hide her from the Onix and Steelix.

However, his move wasn’t left unnoticed. The elder Steelix who had been comfy in the walls of the mountain watched the little steel dino with malice in her eyes.

The mountain hag of a Steelix then launched Dragonbreath aimed at little Aron. The attack didn’t get to its slow moving target though…

A sound resembling a tidal wave hitting a wall of boulders was heard from above the mountain it was only a matter of seconds before a rock slide consisting of: mud, rocks and boulders came plummeting down the mountain as a reflex and onto the elder Iron Snake cutting her attack short as well as burying her under the debris.

The other Onix and the other Steelix turned to see what happened shocked that their leader was beaten by something so petty.

Armaldo used their unguarded state to it’s advantage with a well put Water Pulse on the Onix who fainted and fell victim to the rockslide.

The Steelix smirks lightly at the group before quickly burrowed itself into the ground for a hasty retreat.

With the mountain hag of a Steelix thwarted. Her control as most would call it dissipated; The Zubats and Golbats who also heard Soltone’s message but didn’t give a rip about what that freak said and pretty much lived laidback lives. So they went about their business.

Steven walks over to pick up the ball that contained Cradily but couldn’t help but feel that the defeat of the giant snake Pokemon was a little too easy.

The shivering that Metagross Lightning, Whirlpool and Tsunami was suffering from also stopped…

The group now turned their attention to the sleeping Chick Pokemon whose condition worsened…

To Be Continued…
------------

(Notes)

You might complain that Steven’s high-level monsters should be getting whipped like the way I wrote. But take into consideration those Onix and the two Steelix are somewhere around their high 20’s to low/mid 30’s.
A group of them vs. one even if a more superior in level Pokemon won’t look good. (Especially if the stronger monster becomes confused or paralyzed.)

Isaac Gravity March 15th, 2005 9:25 PM

Disclaimer- I don’t own Pokemon or anything else
-------------

Side Story 1: Tsunami's Growth
---------------
(Tsunami’s Thoughts)

[What’s happening to me? Ugh…Oh, Great Fire Guru of the sky who paints the world with a shining rainbow please give me a sign!]

Her answer was nothingness…

[Am I being punished for how mean I was to May? Or…better yet because I wasn’t there for here when she needed me most…But how can I forgive her if I can’t forgive myself!]

“But she apologized and everything!” A voice that sounded like Whirlpool the Zigzagoon’s protested as the spotlight shone down on him.

“I think this whole argument was just a huge clash of your similar personalities.” A voice that sounded like Leaf the Shroomish points out as the spotlight shone down on him. “Best to forgive and forget.”

[…That’s right? I don‘t need, want or deserve any kind of forgiveness especially from her! She never cared about me! All she obsessed about since the beginning was getting stronger and constantly collecting battle data. Musing about how much more useful to her I’d be if I’d just evolve…I was one big game to her! I get a little upset and she shoos me away! Calls me useless! She tells ME to grow up!]

“FINE! GO DO WHAT YOU WANT! YOU AREN’T MY PROBLEM ANYMORE!! GO BURN A TREE OR SOMETHING!!! j-JUST GET OUTTA MY SIGHT!!!!” May’s voiced trailed into the emptiness. Only fueling the Chick Pokemon’s anger.

[SHE‘S THE SPOILED ONE! SHE‘S THE SELFISH ONE! SHE THE ONE THAT NEEDS TO GROW UP!!! I‘M FINE THE WAY I AM!!!]

“Hey, fire crow.” Lightning’s voice greets. “Shut up.”

[Wha-]

“If anything your acting like a brat. Bangs is willing to let bygones be bygones and start over with us from scratch. She cares about you so much that she was willing to throw all her troubles away, ALL THE THINGS THAT PAINED AND HAUNT HER IN HER SLEEP TO THIS VERY DAY just to see us all safe and happy…You are selfish if you can’t see this nor your own flaws.”

[…]

“Face it Tsunami…You’re selfish…Selfish, like Whirlpool, who stole from others at a ridiculously often rate over petty materialistic items that he didn’t even need even though he knew what he did was wrong…Selfish, like me, who spent my life constantly bullying weaker Pokemon and trainers then shaking ‘em down because I didn’t give a d*mn… Selfish like Leaf, who brags about how his lack of vision makes him absorb more sunlight than most of his properties.
“And” Lightning finishes. “Selfish, like our trainer… Who for some bizarre reason got guys like us under her control and to work together like one huge function!”

[…I…]

“I believe she’s just scared to evolve is all. Nervous if she can’t handle the responsibility of being older. Right? Say I’m right ’cuz I know I am.” Ragnarok the Marshtomp greets his old Lab mate.

[y-You look different…]

“Hmph that what happens when you grow kid.” Daigo the Ivysaur answers as the spotlight now comes upon him.

[I thought you said you never wanted to grow!]

Daigo shakes himself as if he’s shrugging. “Change in plan. I’m Mia’s Default Partner Pokemon. I have a duty to uphold as Leader of her team.”
The Ivysaur continued his speech in a detached yet cool manner. “She needs me…I‘ll just be a puff planter that can plant a lot faster.”

The spotlight then goes back to Whirlpool who jumps about happily. “Even humans grow you know. They start as wee little babies then get bigger and bigger. Also, when they aren’t growing they get smarter.”

“Land Guru of Thunder, your dumb.” Lightning smirks while rolling her eyes at Whirlpool who just lunged at her ensuing a fight cloud.

[May…]

------------------
(Oldale Town)

May, in her Oldale Middle School Uniform walks out of the school premises after another long uneventful day of school…

A lot of Homework as usual, reviews for an upcoming test.

“Chi!”

May looks above her to see Tsunami the Torchic balancing herself on a fence to greet the pessimistic 13-year-old.

“Ready for tonight Partner?” The girl asked with a grin.

Tsunami happily nods. She’s been feeling kindling flames within her body for about a week now. According to Alia she was going to learn a move called Ember. Sounds fiery enough…

The day suddenly felt a bit more rewarding for both of them.

After all, She wasn’t just a house pet…She was a trainers battle partner.

The scene suddenly changes to the appearance of the Rustboro City Gym. Tsunami feels as though she just got hit by a ton of bricks then realizes why.

In front of her was Roxanne’s Pokemon Nosepass who looked burned and strained from all of the little Pokemon’s Ember attacks.

She then sees Nosepass’s trainer: Gym leader and child prodigy: Roxanne who wasn’t focused on the battle. No, the usually in control Gym leader was pissed! She glared cold daggers not at Tsunami but at her partner.

Tsunami weakly turns to see May…or at least she thought it was May…It looked like her…but she looked so much more …foreboding…deadly…

Who cares, May was just as annoyed with Roxanne as she was…

But Tsunami also felt a little pit in her stomach that grew and grew…

Making her body temperature rise higher than it usually did. Though at the same time she was nervous she also felt excited at the prospects of new firepower.

“Tsu! Run at Nosepass with full power using Peck as your guide now!!!” May calls out to her Pokemon in a rash voice that was full of distance and anger.

Tsunami didn’t argue, she felt enticed to…To melt a bloody hole into that totem pole reject…

It started as a mad enraged dash of reckless victory but her body temperature kept rising and rising. ‘Am I going to spontaneously combust?’ Tsunami inwardly frets yet she never wavered from her order. ‘May I guess this is good-bye…’

The scene switches now to Rusterf Cave where Tsunami took her first life. She laid on the ground so pitifully after being deflected as if her attack didn’t even affect the creature. All of May’s tough training regime and she still couldn’t amount to jack.

That didn’t stop her that little fire in her began ignite again. Her Ember attack did a bit more significant damage too…It actually got the creatures attention so May could drag Mia, who was scared out of her wits to safer corner.

‘Shoot. I gotta throw my weight on this!’ Tsunami mentally proclaimed as she continued her assault.

But the beast lunged at her! She didn’t expect that! The chick Pokemon now found herself scared out of her wits and unable to move.

Before she knew it she had been recalled into her Pokeball.

--------------------
(Black screen)
(Tsunami’s thoughts)

[If only I was stronger then…Maybe if I evolved too I could’ve beaten the fire beast of hell…]

[…No…It was too strong…besides, I was exhausted by the time I got there…If I’m May’s default Partner then I should start acting like a leader rather than a spoiled child! I went to that steel cave that day to save her when in reality I needed to save myself]

[May…you didn’t want to train Pokemon yet your abilities to raise us and tame even the most pained spirits is so amazing…It was something you could never run from is that why you continue to fight? Is that why you took me back?” Tsunami then remembers how her recent encounter with May when they finally reunited. “No…There’s more to it…]

[The fire inside of me is so much stronger now May…It wants to burst forth and give me more firepower…]

[But I’m scared! What if I’m still no good for you and act like a brat again?]

[May I’m scared! What should I do?]

[Please help me!]

To be continued…
-------------------

I had a hard time debating if I should even port this chapter from ff.net (well not really a chapter more like a side story that happens within the events) I mean, I covered the inward thoughts of protagonist and her friends/eniemies so why not her main Pokemon?

Err... yeah perhaps I should just get back on track...

Great Fire Guru of the sky who paints the world with a shining rainbow is Ho-oh

Land Guru of Thunder is Raikou

Isaac Gravity March 15th, 2005 10:38 PM

Disclaimer- I don’t own Pokemon or anything else
-----------------
Chapter 20- The Burning Soul Battle! (Part 2): Two faces of the same coin
------------------

(Mt. Chimney)
(Where Brendan and co. currently are)
(Before the Steelix’s defeat)

“Ragnarok!” 13-year-old Brendan Birch defiantly called out to his Pokemon. “Mud Shot!”

Ragnarok the Marshtomp nods at his trainers commands and despite his own pains and bruises, launches himself into the air by spraying Water Gun at full force on the now muddy ground.

The Legendary Sea Captain Ryukyu snorts at Brendan and his Default Partners attempt. “Like I was going to allow you to get off that easy boy!

When the sea captain spoke Exploud mimicked the weaker Pokemon’s actions by getting a running start before he used the momentum to jump then use Hyper Voice to launch himself into the air in pursuit of Mudfish.

“Torkoal now!” Flannery orders her Steam turtle Pokemon who quickly hides in the contents of her shell to unleash Overheat sending waves of fire that spread throughout the battlefield.

Luckily, Exploud wasn’t at the peak of his jump yet enabling him to get singed by the powerful yet trump-card fire attack.

“Hiro Toxic!” Mia ordered her Treecko.

The Tree Gecko Pokemon then pulls out what it seems to be a Purple-point strand of dry hay which he swiftly throws, like a ninja would throw projectile, at the too busy to shield himself from the flames Exploud causing the attack to connect with his right arm.

Once connected, a spot of purple began to form around the Exploud’s arm until it began to grow and spread at an alarming rate.

Exploud quickly rolls himself into a blocking manner from the Steam Turtle and the Tree Gecko only to remember about the target he was originally pursuing who just deluged him with a strong Water Gun right in his gapping mouth. Thusly, choking the Sound Monster who fell to the ground struggling for air.

Ragnarok now felt it was time to go on the offensive and made his charge at the higher-level creature.

“Sir, I suggest you stop this at once.” The 10-year-old spoke simply to the suffocating Legendary Sea Captain. “A Treecko’s version of Toxic is a bit more complex than other grass-types… The poison is first rooted into your Pokemon’s bloodstream. There, it will quickly spread through the body until your Pokemon eventually succumbs…I-I can give you the antidote but you must surrender first.”

Brendan was pretty shocked at Mia’s level cruelty.

Then again… May isn’t what most would call a good influence on others. None the less it was because of the Soul thread that he and his Pokemon created when canceling out that man’s attack was why that they were both was suffering now.

Rather than even acknowledge Mia’s offer Gatsura and Exploud were more interested in saving their asses.

Banging against his chest with his fist in what one would call a self Heimlich maneuver Gatsura continued to cough violently. For the sake of himself and his partner.

In the meantime, Exploud stopped forcing his cough and clamped his huge mouth shut. Which was a risky move since it was inwardly drowning as his eyes bulged with veins.

The Sound Pokemon then began to squeeze his right arm and push so much pressure against it that his own arm that the sound of cracking was heard while purplish water began to seep out from the holes within the Pokemon‘s odd looking mane.

Ragnarok leaped at Exploud and came down with a strong Iron Tail while Hiro, who stood from an opposite side, launched Bullet Seed…

Exploud looked as though it was about to explode from all the pressure it held in. But the rather intelligent Pokemon figured since it was poisoned aside from suffocating why not focuses his entire center on the pain of breaking his arm.

Not only could this at most slow the poison from further spreading but it maybe his key to beridding the suffocating.

The seeping purplish water turned into a faucet. With bulging, vein filled, watery eyes, Exploud successfully broke his and Gatsura’s right arm.

The Exploud then belches out a great amount of water through its huge mouth which splashed all over Ragnarok the Marshtomp who let out a pain-staking yelp as the purplish water got into his eyes.

Exploud quickly grabs the mudfish Pokemon by his Mohawk-like fin and uses him as a shield from the piercing Bullet Seed attack.

The Sound Pokemon then disposes of his “shield” by tossing him into Torkoal who attempted to jump into the fight with a spin and run Fire Spin.

Exploud quickly jumps to avoid another Purple-point strand of dry hay thrown by Hiro and manages to nail him with a light kangaroo-like kick.

Landing back on his feet, while breathing heavily while remnants of water in combination with his saliva oozed down his mouth. Exploud only had a small fraction of his Health Points left.

“Brendan! One more attack and this is over!” Ciel informs her trainer. Before becoming more cautious. “Brendan…are you ok?”

“Ragnarok… ugh... eyes are getting blurry…” Brendan murmured, almost tripping due to his dissipating vision and the unbelievable pain he just felt when Ragnarok was hit from all those attacks if Flannery hadn’t been there to help him.

“Don’t worry he’s right here…” The 17-year-old assured him in a hushed voice.

Brendan wasn’t listening. He managed to blindly wriggles free from Flannery’s hold only to fall on his stomach.

The 13-year-old crawled over to Ragnarok who cringed and shook violently as he screamed out in horrid pain, Brendan smiles warmly at his Pokemon partner and friend yet couldn’t help but feel a huge twinge of guilt for letting this happen.

All the snow colored hair boy could see at that moment was the first time he received Ragnarok as a Mudkip and all the fun adventures they had together. Not to mention how livid he would get in the beginning when Ragnarok would suffer a minor scratch.

It was these soothing moments that cluttered Brendan from feeling the sudden stinging pain that burned in his eyes as they became clear…

…One moment he was able to see his hand touching Ragnarok’s stomach but then it just turned into clear lavender. Which was replaced by that painful feeling that Ragnarok was suffering from.

It hurt like hell, for sure it did. But rather than scream, the boy just gritted his teeth and closed his eyes tightly as tears freely fell from them. Brendan once never stopped rubbing his best non-human friend’s belly to calm him down as best as he could.

Feeling Brendan’s presence, Ragnarok calmed down and manipulated his doings.

Flannery couldn’t help but give a softened expression at the scene while Mia used Gatsura and his Pokemon’s gasping for air as a chance to run over to her friends and pull out some healing aids.

If Ciel could bow in respect she would. But thanking the two girls for being there for him psychically was enough.

EXPLOOOOOOOUD!!!!

Exploud was back and ready to battle. And boy, was he feeling mighty angry!

Not wasting anytime he immediately lunged at the group.

Hiro bravely attempts to use Bullet Seed but Exploud shakes off the minuscule damage before giving the Pokemon a strong punch to jaw instantly defeating him.

Adding insult to injury Exploud then used Hyper Voice on the already beaten Pokemon for inferiority complex reasons.

Hiro slid past the group and only inches from a near fatal fall of the cliff, K.Oed.

Mia practically shoved Flannery the eye cleaner and rushed towards her Pokemon’s side as tears formed in her young indigo eyes.

COUGH! COUGH!! YOU BRATS DARE TO MAKE A FOOL OF THE GREAT RYUKYU GATSURA?!? I‘M THROUGH PLAYING GAMES WITH YOU!!!

The man and his Pokemon roared at such a decibel that it could cause a rockslide.

Mia scowls at the man. “What’s so great about you? You’re a fool.”

Ciel agrees. “Are you proud of yourself for pulling a low blow like that? You said you fight with honor and the fist! Where’s your honor in such a cowardly move?”

A man’s dream drives one to say and do desperate things.” Gatsura gives a low growl while eyeing Brendan and Ragnarok who rubbed their eyes, showing signs of regaining their sight. “A battle between men must be fought to settle things once and for all. For losing here only means death.

“Your dreams are trash dreams for a trash person.” Flannery starts quietly as she stood up in front of Brendan as she spread her arms in a defensive manner. “WHY DON’T YOU GET YOU HEAD OUT OF YOUR A*S AND TAKE A GOOD LOOK AT THE WORLD AROUND YOU! THE WORLD IS FINE! IF IT NEEDS SAVING FROM ANYTHING IT’S FROM KNOW-IT-ALL BASTARDS LIKE Y-”

Exploud interrupted the teen’s words with a weak Hyper Voice attack, knocking her backwards. The ground below Brendan and co. also started to weaken as a consequence of Exploud’s move.

Torkoal launched a Flamethrower attack at the Sound Pokemon who only jumped over the attack and used the Custom Tactic Shining Fist to crush the Steam Turtle’s shell.

Torkoal quickly ducked into her shell and used Fire Spin to act a motor to spin away from the shell cracking attack.

No escape coward…” Gatsura murmured with pure venom in his voice.

Exploud irately launched a Hyper Voice that hits his target right on the mark making Torkoal crash into a nearby wall beaten and bruised. That doesn’t stop Exploud from bombarding the Steam Turtle with another Hyper Voice.

Flannery watched the scene very pained. She made a vow that she’d never lose yet she messed up again where it really counted…

The teen stiffened when she felt a hand pushing itself into her jeans rear-pocket.

Her sudden feeling of lost personal space dissipated when she saw that Brendan was struggling to pick himself up, as was Ragnarok who was clinging to Brendan’s neck while sniffing the air constantly.

“Brendan if you wanted my help then just ask for it…” The 17-year-old replied in a softened voice as she helped him up.
The Lavaridge Gym Leader now faces Gatsura with an angry look before it slowly formed into a sad smirk. “Some elite trainer I am…” She mutters. “I had to rely on the help of two kids to help me fight one Pokemon that’s only nine levels over mine and we still lost…I don‘t deserve to call myself anything…”

“Losing here means death Flannery-san.” Mia assures as she hugs Hiro the Treecko tightly. “We haven’t lost...”

“So you lost. Big deal.” Brendan mutters. “If you wanted to win so badly you would‘ve gave it everything you had but you didn‘t. But like Mia said…we haven’t lost…”

Flannery gritted her teeth at what the 13-year-old was saying to her. “The- Who the hell do you think you are!? What’s with you two!? Why are you two so calm huh!?”

Gatsura was still pretty angry, BUT he is a man of the sea and goes by his own code. Thus, he decided to enlighten the young Gym Leader by what Brendan and Mia meant. “You had your edge at the tip of your fingers yet like the land lover you are, chose to shoot off your mouth and play around.

“What…”

“You knew a Custom Tactic yourself.” Brendan spoke solemnly yet a bit annoyed. “This whole fight would’ve resulted differently if you just used it. What were you so afraid of?”

Flannery was dumbstruck by this realization. Well yes, back home Flannery was considered a battle genius.

Much similar to Roxanne, she mastered the art of Custom Tactics at a very young age.

The moves Flannery knew could’ve clinched the fight for her and her allies.

But at that moment all she could think of was when she was of the tender age of nine when she first showed off this move to her Grandfather who she finally managed to persuade into a Pokemon battle after his years of retirement…

…Let’s just say the old timer looked as though his own family member had just stabbed him in the back and he was getting one last look at her with his final breaths… With his eyes full of betrayal and pain.

That realization slowly started to overtake the 17-year-old but she still tried her hardest to hold onto what little pride she had.

“Oh, so I guess that the mighty little hero boy has some last minute heroics planned?”

“No…” The 13-year-old admits. “I’m not as talented as you are but when my Pokemon and I spend months working ourselves to the bone just to get the hang of something we’ll use it every chance we get.”

Gatsura pounds his chest heavily. “Whatever you try boy it’s not enough!” Exploud fist glows brightly as he lunges at the battered, bruised and blinded mudfish Pokemon who just stood his ground. “I WILL SEE MY DREAM COME TRUE! THIS BATTLE OF THE SEA AND YOU LAZY LAND DWELLERS IS OVER!!!

Exploud launched his attack at his foe. Rather than hitting Ragnarok, Exploud’s fist came into contact with a scalding hot geyser that tore away at the ground greatly which shot up in front of the mudfish Pokemon from nowhere.

Exploud pulls back shaking with pain as his left arm was now maimed with severe third degree burns.

Gatsura also held his now harshly burned arm and glowers at the group of kids very annoyed.

Flannery and Mia also held a: "When did you know that?" Look at their snow colored hair companion.

“I‘m always called a dropout.” Brendan mummers. “It was rare when someone would just see what I’ve accomplished and not rub it off as an advantage of being son of Prof. Birch… I still might be perceived as that… But… I worked too hard to let anyone stray me from my path now…”

Though tired, Exploud was determined.

The Sound Pokemon opened his mouth as widely as he could to launch his strongest Hyper Voice. The attack was released at such a decibel that all sound around the battlefield completely muted.

From a third person’s view of the fight it seemed that Brendan was yelling something at his Pokemon Partner, who, with his last bit of energy pulled his arms down from his vertical position to horizontal I-just-threw-something position.

This forces the geyser-like wall to rip through everything in its path as charged towards Exploud and his trainer.

The sound returns when the two attacks collided.

Isaac Gravity March 15th, 2005 10:59 PM

Cont
---------------------

The stronger than usual Hyper Voice was vastly weakened as a result of the attack but had enough strength to make contact and knock out the already fatigued Ragnarok and shatter the ground below Brendan and his friends making them all fall to a lower level of the mountain.

The same result could be said about Ragnarok’s Custom Tactic. The move was severely cut down to size due to Exploud’s handy work but still had enough thunder to hit its targets.

Exploud had no strength left in him… The Loyal Sound Pokemon fell to floor and closed his eyes remembering the easy days when it was just him as a Whimsur, his fallen comrade Squirtle and their master and friend Gatsura.

A lone tear escaped Exploud’s left eye when he remember all their happiness and hardships at the sea… In his own tongue Exploud murmured: “Master…I’ll be joining Blastoise on the other side…” Before he was swept up and horribly burned apart by the scalding hot water.

Seeing the remnants of the geyser coming his way, the legendary Sea Captain Ryukyu Gatsura didn’t even budge. The only thing he could remember was what Brendan, Mia and Flannery were told him from the beginning and throughout the fight.

So your dreams were unified…” Gatsura spoke in a supposed quiet manner. “If I too fought with those who shared my dreams could I have been the one to live to see the next sunset? No,” The sea captain admits. “We did fight as one but our drives were completely different…Humph, I lose…

Like the man of honor he truly is Gatsura spread his arms while giving a proud smirk as he too became consumed in the dying geyser.

Not even uttering a word as the geyser finally smashed itself against the mountain trail wall…

The area where that once furious battle took place was turned into a rockslide consisting of: mud, rocks and boulders began to roll down the mountainous path greatly altering a conjuring battle that took place below…

-----------
(Where May and Steven are)

“Chi…” chirped the voice of Tsunami the Torchic as she finally started to stir. Much to the relief of her Pokemon allies, minus Metagross, who hardly knew Tsunami anyway.

Meanwhile, below the mountain pass. Aron finally reached the feverish May Hiromi who, like her Pokemon ally also began to awaken from her raised fever.

Little Aron wastes no time to nuzzle the girl by her shins in an attempt to bring the girl to her senses.

“Tsu…” May weakly mutters as she opened her eyes only to bear a weakened look.

“Mrph! Mphron! Mrph!” Aron continued to nuzzle at the 13-year-old’s leg while gesturing to the drink in his mouth.

May was still pretty dazed but she was also dehydrated, that left her usual mentality about medicine to dissipate.

“Is that for me?” The 13-year-old asked.

Aron puts the drink on the floor and nods proudly.

May grins gratefully as she quickly guzzles down the rather bitter drink.

Steven didn’t know whether to feel a bit annoyed of the little Steel/Rock type or sing praises that he got the rather stubborn girl to drink the bloody thing.

As the 19-year-old was about to walk over to Armaldo and give spray him with the ever refreshing Full Restore May’s voice addressed him.

“Hey, Mia’s brother…”

“Eh? Since when were you one to be so casual Hiromi?” Steven grins, fully basking in May’s embarrassment.

“Does it really matter?” The chestnut-haired girl verbally countered before looking at her running shoes to avoid eye contact with the 19-year-old.

Steven shrugs while the grin on his face grew wider. “Meh, No problem. Only helping out a close friend of my little sister’s.”

Steven had to admit he felt a little more at ease now.

He hated having to constantly keep his guard up around the girl due to the realization that the Experiment-X’s, due to the serum, were known to be quite erratic in behavior and when their emotions or stress levels got a little out of whack they’d go berserk.

May was no exception of this in fact, from the stories that Mia had told him of their adventures she was a prime example and could not be taken lightly under ANY circumstance.

“Arrr….”

The 19-year-old Hoenn Champ then noticed that while walking by him Little Aron shot him a warning look that said: “I got my eyes on you pal.”

The elegantly dressed 19-year-old shrugs this off and attended to Armaldo.

::RUUMMBLE::

::GROOOAAAAAR!!!::

Much to Steven’s surprise, Armaldo quickly pushes him aside just to receive the full burnt attack made by the Steelix who fled the picture earlier.

It was a dirty sneak attack yes. Lowest of the low blows anyone who fights with what one calls honor can ever call…

…But it worked. Armaldo was already exhausted from his previous fights and was about to receive the Full Restore before this happened. Thus the mighty ancient Pokemon was defeated in the most shameful manner.

“Armaldo! Return immediately!!!” Steven yells as he recalls his ally into his Pokeball gritting his teeth angrily at the cowardly Pokemon but kept his usually cool demeanor enough to address May. “Hiromi! Get out of here now! This task is an easy one. Not to mention a personal one…”

CRRREEEHIIIIISSSSSS

::RUUMMMMMMMMBLE::

Much to both trainers dismay, the elder Steelix burst forth from ground right behind the smaller, younger Iron Snake.

The elder wasn’t only different from her relative in just mere height, oh no… This Pokemon emanated with blackish/purple aura…

From the perspective of Steven and the Pokemon, including the younger Steelix: There was something about her that just chills down their spine.

And it wasn’t just the ominous look that appeared in the elder Steelix’s black eyes… Her air wasn’t the same at all as it was a while ago… Only emptiness and rage could be felt from this creature now…

The signs of evil incarnate.

CRRREEEHIIIIISSSSSS!!!!!!” The Steelix roared in her high pitched voice before sinking her razor sharp mouth onto the Steel block that connects the smaller Steelix’s head to the rest of his chain-like body.

Her strength being boosted by the evil intentions emitted from the aura around her was cracking through the younger Steelix's softer metal hide quite easily.

The younger Steelix tried to escape its elder’s monstrous lockjaw grip but was ultimately failing as he felt his everything was going blank.

The smaller Steelix gives an ear piercing death scream as its malicious elder successfully disconnected his head from his body.

The Steelix then began to feast on the fallen Iron snake’s body ravenously.

The group’s only reactions to this were either that of overwhelming disgust that slowly transformed into a mix paralyzing anger and fear.

May looked at this creature with contempt and sympathy. Constantly being angry and bitter and wanting nothing but to lash out…
That ultimately leads to the destruction of the lives of those that truly care for you because you couldn’t see the point…This sight before would have been her future if she had given in to the serums influence… If she didn’t wake up and see her flaws…

May cut herself from her contemplation when she fells a light nudging at her feet.

The 13-year-old turns to see Aron nervously trying to pull May away as if gesturing her to run as tears well up in his eyes.

“Don’t be afraid.” May assures the Level 5 Steel/Rock hybrid as she pulls out an empty Pokeball. “You like following me around right? Well you‘d have to make this a home sooner or later… so… just dry your eyes and trust my judgment on this one!

The Aron was too young to understand the natures of right and wrong. But he did know that he did trust his princess with his life and that’s all that mattered to him.

May quickly taps her Pokeball lightly on the baby dino Pokemon’s head and he quickly entered the ball rattling inside a couple of times before becoming comfortable in his new environment.

The chestnut-haired 13-year-old picks up the ball and sighs a bit relived.

“HIROMI JUMP!” Steven Stone’s voice called to the girl from the distance.

May’s not one to be ordered in such a manner, but a little voice in the back of her head told her to just listen to the guy without real argument and thus, did so.

It’s a good thing she did listen to that little voice that knows what would have became of her when she was within the range of the plunging Metagross’ Earthquake.

The steel crab’s actions easily disrupting the feasting Steelix from her meal enraging her. When it attempted to give out another loud screeching noise it was bombarded with a barrage of little fire bullets from Tsunami the Torchic.

Lightning and Whirlpool look at each other with content looks before they both leave their safe spots to join the fray below.

Metagross quickly began to scuttle towards his opponent as fast as his claws could carry him. Not even the recurring arrival of the Zubats and Golbats could stop the Steel crab Pokemon who easily cut through the bulk of them with Psychic.

Since Psychic does hardly any significant damage to Steel-types, Steelix used the Zubat and Golbat horde to her advantage as she rocketed towards Metagross with the blackish/purple aura around radiating even stronger while launching the bizarre attack which even knocked a mighty Pokemon like Steven’s Metagross off its feet.

“This day just gets worse by the moment…” Steven mutters irately before calling out to Metagross. “Metagross don’t let this best you!”

The Steel Crab Pokemon manages to pull itself together and land on all fours.

Metagross quickly began to scuttle away from all of the Steel snakes rabid attacks and movements not caring what was crushed or destroyed along the way.

Zubats and Goldbats quickly began to flock around the Steel Crab cluttering its vision.

Lightning the Electrike quickly took care of the problem by ramming into the crowd with Spark before jumping getting sucker punched by a speedy Golbat who hit her from the side with a well placed Wing Attack.

Metagross quickly launched Psychic at its winged foes a numerous number of times before growing a bit weary from the constant uses on what it seemed: an endless number of foes that kept flocking to it and Lightning, who was also in the same boat as her ally from the constant electric assaults she made.

Steelix attempted to use this to her advantage and snatch up the Steel Crab in her jaws.

What she didn’t anticipate was Steven calling out Aggron who bashed her in the face with a strong Double Edge.

Aggron quickly latches his strong metal claws to the creatures face and manages to claw at the Steelix’s right eye causing the Steel snake to thrash about leaving her open season to another Earthquake attack from Metagross.

CRRREEEHIIIIISSSSSS!!!!!!

The Iron snake uses Screech again causing everyone close enough or sensitive to her noise end up inwardly shivering.

The Iron snake Pokemon quickly slams herself into the shivering Metagross face first, quickly taking care of two birds with one stone.

Lightning managed to move away before running victim to the same treatment.

“th-This move again…” Steven mutters. “Metagross… Aggron…shake off the control…Aah!” The 19-year-old could only weakly shield himself from the harassing Zubats and Golbats.

That was the case until his left arm started to tremble freely forcing him to unconsciously use his right to grasp onto the erratic appendage leaving him open season to any and all nicks to the cheeks and attacks.

The same could be said for May.

Unfortunately for her, a smarter Zubat deicided to stop flapping just to annoy her and actually take a bite at her shoulder.

This act infuriated Whirlpool, who was the closest to May at the moment. Struggling to get up to do something proved more painful than usual thanks to a higher-level Golbat’s Confuse Ray.

Watching her friends plight from afar, Tsunami’s feathers ruffled fiercely as she launched a strong barrage of fire bullets at the swarm of Zubats and Golbats that harassed May and the others, taking a lot of them out.

The chick Pokemon then began to attack the Steelix who managed to get her jaws on Aggron who, due to the paralysis could barley struggle the Iron snake's closing jaws.

It wasn’t long until the chick Pokemon started feeling an overwhelming amount of heat burst through her small, feathered body.

Tsunami felt it in her entire being. Her body temperature was too much for her…

May didn’t know why but she felt as if something inside of her; a little flame that usually burned regardless of the situation had just extinguished.

She also noticed that the Ember barrage stopped.

CHIIIII!!!!!!!!

The battle came to a temporary halt as they all looked up the mountain trail to see a bright light show taking place consisting of a chick Pokemon and an overheating body that flared up with fire that was eating away at her.

From where May and the others stood the scene looked like a growing fireball that was undergoing the final process of its existence…

May refused to believe that however; it was this feeling of anxiety and loss that made her desperately blurts these words out.

“Tsunami… n-nice light show but we have to get serious!”

th- This isn’t some kind of joke Hiromi!” Steven blurts out in a very cold tone, while holding in any and all urges to scream out in pain.

“y-Yeah right liar…Tsunami’s strong!”

The Hoenn Champion pretty much ignored the girl and focused on trying to stabilize himself.

A further rush of fear overtook the 13-year old as she nervously bit the bottom of her lip and prayed to god that Tsunami was only releasing an unnerving amount of excess heat…

To be continued…
--------------------

Ok, before someone wants to chew my head off over the Steelix killing and eating what it could of the other Steelix. Here’s a kick to thrust you out of your candy-coated world: Look at the Pokedex in your games. Pokemon DO eat other Pokemon. (Which makes sense since real animals seem to not exist in the Pokemon world)

Since Steel and Rock types have a diet that consist around eating rocks or metal I figured that more desperate minded (or just plain malicious) Steel or Rock or Steel/Rock hybrid would see that a quick fix to strengthen their body would be by eating the hide from another living creature whose body is already quite strong.

Final note: For those who haven’t played Pokemon Colosseum what the Steelix did is called Shadow Rush. The whole point behind Cipher in Colosseum was to create Pokemon that unlock the evil in their hearts to gain unfathomable power.

With this being the case even a lower level Pokemon could stand up to a much stronger one as if they were equals, no as if they were the more powerful ones!

Isaac Gravity March 27th, 2005 12:17 PM

Disclaimer- I don’t own Pokemon or anything else

----------
Chapter 20- The Burning Soul Battle! (Part 3): Second Wind
----------

The tiny fireball soon turned into an even bigger flame at the moment before quickly dwindling into what most with seem as nothing.

::BEEP BEEP BEEP::

Not really caring if she was being too forceful about it or not, May snaps out of her state of shock and hastily pulls out her talkative A.I. travel companion from her phanny pack. “ALIA? OUT WITH IT!! WHAT‘S GOING ON?”

Alia was completely caught off guard by her ally’s outburst.

Despite this the talking Pokedex kept her usually firm no-nonsense ground when she shot back at the girl. “No clue. Get in range and we’ll talk.”

“Useless as always!” May scoffs.

“May, if I’m so useless…” Alia coolly counters. “Then stop relying on me and figure things out for yourself.”

Getting to her feet in a quite wobbly manner, the 13-year-old took haste to the now mudslide covered mountain trail.

A soft wind swept through the area. Along with the calming breeze ash and orange feathers blew along with it.

This sight only slowed the movement of the chestnut-haired girl.

A tiny orange feather lightly brushed itself against May’s cheek, making the girl to completely lose her footing and slide down the mudslide path.

Zubats quickly began to harass the 13-year-old who just laid there with the mounting bruises and cuts, whether they be new or reopened that appeared on her rather fragile form.

“May c’m-n! No time for sleep or guilt trips!” Alia screams at her partner. “When did you become such a freaking sissy!? Get up!”

Alia knew she was pushing it with the13-year-old but she just never could stand watching the girl get so emotional.

It annoyed her greatly since, unlike Ciel, she was never programmed to concern over such things…

Alia couldn’t help but get relief from May’s weak attempts to lift her fatigued body, yet only cursed herself when the 13-year-old could to shield herself from the Zubats who continued to bite and scratch at her.
----------

With the effects of the iron snakes Screech finally wearing off, Metagross charges straight into its metal foe to free Aggron from her near lock-jaw grip.

The steel crab’s naturally built strength advantage helped make its strategy a complete success! Aggron wasn’t too happy about the impact to the ground but neither was Steelix.

The iron snake angrily picks herself up only to steal a glance at May’s situation from afar…

A rush of unknown rage paralyzes the iron snake as the purplish/black aura around her pulsates in an even stronger manner.

All the Steelix could do is give a loud enraged roar.

-----------
(Flashback)

Inside the room surrounded by glass derived of a hard to break substance. A bright light begins to flash and shine brightly quickly intensifying the heat of the room much to the Onix’s dismay.

Through the blinding light the Onix could see a few men in white coats watching with cold anticipation of the occurring events. All of them either wore protective eyewear to shield their eyes for what’s to come.

But what about her? She was inside this increasing hot room and her eyes began to hurt even if she closed them.

The Onix’s survival instincts kicked in as she began to bash her head constantly against the wall, not caring if she was slowly but surely chipping bits of her rock-like head.

She gave a loud ear-piercing screech that began to weaken the odd coating of the mirror.

Her constant struggle began to alarm the wicked group of scientist who began to rush their workstations and feverishly inputting the system defensive mechanism. The system defense kicks in, causing five lasers to pop out of their hidden gates in the room and sedate the Onix with painful beams meant to tranquilize and stun the Rock Snake.

If it wasn’t bad enough the lights intensity within the room continued finally making the Onix succumb to whatever the scientist had intended for it.

(End flashback)
------------

In a mad rage, the iron snake launches Dragonbreath in a vertical manner with all her might.

Becoming attracted to the light and the sound, the Golbats and some of the stronger Zubats circled around the iron snake.

Steven squeezed down his arm as tightly as he could maintain; eventually, the pain calmed down just enough to view this spectacle for himself.

The iron snake continued her futile Dragonbreath to the sky, while her mouth began to soften from the overexerting use of the heated Dragon-type attack with paralytic properties.

It seemed like a brief moment, but the attack seemed to burn a hole through the thick sky almost letting true sunlight shine through.

But that was only for a moment.

The reigning Hoenn Champion continued to study this scene until he shakily pulls out an Ultra Ball.

“You continue to pull forward even when it’s all in vain?” Steven questioned. “Doing whatever is required to maintain your own existence and only that is something that isn’t uncommon for the beings you chose as foes today… But-”

Steven growls fiercely as he throws his Ultra Ball at the iron snake Pokemon.

Capture looked inevitable! Inevitable, but not unstoppable…

The Golbats that hovered around the Steelix finally showed their use as one Golbat flew in front of the spherical container, allowing itself to get nabbed.

The bat Pokemon, full vitality and stamina, easily broke out from its sphere-like prison to rejoin its brethren.

The Golbats accompanied by higher level Zubats all began to hover around the Steelix entreating themselves like living shields.

The Hoenn Champion cursed his carelessness. Aggron struggled to pick himself up to angrily launch Hyper Beam. From a far view perspective the mighty turn-exhauster burned a hole with the moving blue cloud around the iron snake only to be slowly filled back up.

As a response, a few aggressive Zubats zoomed at their aggressor, only one the three attempted a Supersonic which missed its mark anyway.
Attacking the infuriated Aggron didn’t prove to be in their best interest, so, harassing his trainer was the best next thing. After all he was only a human, they all go “eep eep stay away!” and stuff with them.

Not many got by Metagross’ defense but it was running low on steam himself…

The tiny bat Pokemon enjoyed their chance harassment of the region Champion. What they didn’t care to notice within Steven’s shielding of his face was the fury growing his eyes.

When one of the Zubat decided to nip at the 19-year-old’s hand it found itself head first, in his closing grip. Being pressed against his palm with his two fingers, the bat Pokemon now had no choice but to sink its fangs in Steven’s palm.

“Even I have my limits of patience…” The Hoenn Champion growls darkly. The 19-year-old tightening his hold on the Zubat, helping the frantic creature sink its fangs deeper into his skin, this allowing more blood to seep freely. “Are you enjoying this? Until you learn the costs of living, your pain means little to me…”

A sudden barrage of fiery bullets blazed through the air and successfully made contact with Golbat/Zubat barricade.

Aside from Steelix, many including Steven, ceased their actions to take of the direction the assault came from.

The Hoenn Champion and the Golbat who abdicated their jobs took note of the same barrage being fired in the exact spot May laid. The attack never touched the 13-year-old nor was it ever intended to harm her; the meddlesome Zubats however, was a different case scenario…

The final thing to be noted was a bright yellow/red thing descending from higher up the mountain path and towards the girl, remaining there.

The Golbats all made their way for that new intruder while Steven tossed aside what was left of his earlier object of attention to move towards fainted Lightning pulling out what it seemed to be a Max Revive.

------

“Chi”

Every strand of returning energy May Hiromi had felt a while ago felt like it had dried away.

When the chestnut-haired girl felt the weight of her battered body take its toll, a strong arm caught the girl and struggled to push her up and against her back to rest.

The person was a lot shorter than May but its strength pretty much outmatched hers… the kind Samaritan also felt quite fuzzy, in a feathery manner of fuzzy.

::BEEP BEEP BEEP::

“May! May! Hey come on open your eyes! Sleeping here is not the best of ideas!” Alia screams at the girl whose head slumped down to show drifting consciousness.

May’s eyes were heavy from fatigue but she struggled with all of her might to at least open one eye.

“Ts-Tsunami?” May mummers, weakly opening her eyes once before closing them again, getting to see a lovely view of red and yellow feathers blowing about.

Opening her eyes again, she was able to see the blooming feathers subside to view a very injured yet, rather concerned looking yellow bird through blurred vision.

“Ch-Chi!” The voice of this bird was a lot different if not deeper than Tsunami’s squeaky chirps.

May could only smile weakly for the Pokemon voicing, “You didn’t have to…”

The fowl Pokemon known as Combusken better yet: Tsunami the Combusken eyes waver a bit but rather than acting on what she wanted, the sounds of the approaching Golbats forced her to turn around and activate Protect to shield herself and her trainer.

Two of the Golbat pulled back to enfold themselves in their large wings before expanding them in to perform the wind slicing Air Cutter.

Their little tactic completely broke down Tsunami’s weakened line of defense knocking her into May.
The 13-year-old winced lightly from the excess heat the Blaze active fowl Pokemon bared. Tsunami narrows her eyes hatefully at her attackers and pulls herself upwards to charge right in the center of her foes attack formation.

The Fire/Fighting hybrid breathes in deeply as a tiny reddish/yellow/orange ring forms around her beak before unleashing a strong Ember attack that made her previous form of Ember, even if Blaze influenced look like flames used for a teakettle.

The Golbats were all quick enough to easily evade the attack. Tsunami didn’t care though, testing the strength of her newfound arms and legs the fowl Pokemon attempted to swat/drop kick any and all who stood in her way!

For reasons of being too fatigued, not used to her new body AND most importantly, her opponents could fly, this assault was also a failure…

The airborne trio circled around the fowl Pokemon before all diving in for the kill. Tsunami did all she could to evade the incoming dive-bombs and their follow up attacks, she even tried using Blaze active Embers when they came in range enough.

One of the Golbats took advantage of the fowl Pokemon’s opening by grabbing her attention by keeping itself airborne before preparing itself for faking a dive-bomb which, unlike the other attempts made by it and its breathen seemed to have bizarre afterimages follow its movement.

Regardless of how much different the attack looked, desperate Tsunami unleashed Ember which should’ve hit its marker had not for the confounding veil the movement bat Pokemon and its afterimages created.

In Tsunami’s eyes, the Golbat and its images all seemed like it was slowly pulling back yet before she knew it, the bat Pokemon was right in front of her and swatted her with its mighty wings.

“Tsunami…” May mutters weakly. The 13-year-old struggled as much as she could to move but there was nothing left to give…

The impact of the untimed attack made everything within Tsunami shudder with pain.

The other two Golbat hastily joined in the fray by knocking the defeated fowl Pokemon upwards with a strong Wing Attack while the other added insult to injury by sending her to the ground badly cut and a heavy thud included, with Air Cutter.

The 13-year-old’s eyes widened in horror as she watched the fowl Pokemon hit the ground like a rag doll. The Golbats all victoriously descend upon her; begin to fight among themselves who should be the one to sink their fangs into her more tender areas.

Some more bat Pokemon soon attempted to join in but were scared off by the territorial trio.

“stop it…” May voiced in a tone just above a whisper. The chestnut-haired girl continued to mouth these words, each time becoming more desperate and high pitched.

---------------
Within the 13-year-old her inner child, once known as her wild half, shook her head fearfully as tears welled up in her eyes.

“Tsu-tsu can’t die…” The 5-year-old trembled before tears ran freely down her cheeks. “Tsu-tsu… can’t die!”
The child shuddered to the point where her fear was replaced by anguish. “You said no more pain!!” she shouts. “YOU SAID IF WE CHANGED NO ONE WOULD SUFFER ANYMORE!!! YOU SAID-
----------

May’s eyes become slits as the pressure within finally reached its peak.

“…STOP IT!!!

The following events were that of slow of motion for the 13-year-old. Falling to her hands and knees, the chestnut-haired girl began to vomit violently, literally gasping for air in-between coughs.

The area was suddenly filled with a void of intensity as foreign sensations pulsated within the Pokemon may it be domesticated or wild.

Even Steven felt this pulsating wariness, he did break a sweat and trembled some much to curse of humanity but if his loyal allies held their ground why shouldn’t he?

‘The serum… and the antidote…’ The 19-year-old mentally cursed. ‘So the purification remedy wasn’t enough? What exactly did they do to the Experiments-X Hiromi?’

For the Zubats and Golbats, this feeling gave a rush of uneasiness or bitterness in their systems. This caused many of the bat creatures to either take flight or stand to fight.

For May’s Pokemon allies, it was a feeling of a seemingly bottomless pit of broiling animosity that overtook any and all senses they claimed.

This is what got the trio of Golbats to ascend into the skies when the fowl Pokemon, though utterly beaten, held eyes of deep primal rage while an powerful fiery aura rippled around her being. Lightning and Whirlpool also underwent this malicious change…

The main difference was Lightning was the only one who could pick herself up…

When Steven tried to halt her movement his hand got burn lightly by the overdrive of electricity she released.

The electricity around Lightning’s body rose rapidly to the point she winced from her own charge.

Growling fiercely, Lightning took one defiant step forward! In this process of her action, her sharper than usual teeth were shaping into that of a higher caliber… Makes sense, as her entire being was morphing.

Lightning’s electric output continued to rise rapidly. The little wolf Pokemon planted her paws into the ground as she continued to undergo more bone-cracking morphing into a larger, sleeker form. Her once dominant green fur was being permanently shed off and replaced by the once miniscule yellow. Now the color blue seemed to be a minority…

Some of the Zubat and Golbat who weren’t moving about in a confused ruckus didn’t appreciate Lightning’s change and attempted to knock off her high and mighty domestic Pokemon horse.

…The fear of being fried from intensity of spewed electricity quickly halted this dispute…

Steven watched Lightning’s change with mixed thoughts. It’s obvious that the Pokemon met the requirements to undergo evolution… Yet, from his experience and witnessing of dramatic evolutions of Pokemon of many diverse backgrounds none were as lengthy and dare he admit it, hideous as what he had the “opportunity” to behold.

Could this be one of the results of the Pokemon’s exposure to the chestnut-haired Experiment-X and the influence of-?

The electric build-up over takes Lightning’s being as she gives one loud howl of pain before she somehow finally underwent normal evolution processes to become the Discharge Pokemon Manectric.

The rippling fiery aura around Lightning, Tsunami and Whirlpool pulsated at stronger rate.

Still holding the insane ferocity within them, Lightning howls loudly. The Pokemon continued to do such until the skies were being darkened by veiled thunderclouds.

The cause for her insanity: 13-year-old May Hiromi dragged herself slowly towards Tsunami.
Pulsating with a rippling aura of anguished flames, the chestnut-haired girl hissed fiercely while making every paining move. Her once wide cerulean blue eyes still cat-like slits…

A powerful shock pulsated within the stuck-on-herself Steelix. The iron snake actually stopped her futile Dragonbreath to search out the feeling that made her own aura react so.
--------

May continued to drag herself to her fallen default Pokemon who could only glare hatefully at the Golbats above.

With her earlier intensity dying down, blurred vision was only a mere facet of losing consciousness. Something that Tsunami, Lightning and Whirlpool were all feeling at that moment until they eventually blacked out.

Noticing “that air” was wafting away, the trio of Golbat was ready to swoop in again only to reach another squabble over who‘d claim victor of the prize…

May reaches her hand out to the fowl Pokemon. In all her confusion and daze the girl’s eyes looked towards the Steelix who glared at her darkly through a weakly pulsating aura.

Ominous black eyes into fading cerulean blues…

This stand off lasted until May once again felt the feelings that started this situation. The 13-year-old’s weakened aura dispersed without warning and for her, everything was black…
-------

Seeing the end result Steelix glared in disgust and readied one last Dragonbreath on the catalyst of a human.

That would’ve been her motive had Steven Stone not command his Metagross to ravage the ground with Earthquake, successfully ripping away at the her hard body and bringing the quick defeat she should‘ve faced from the beginning.

He couldn’t careless if it was dead now, but leaving such a creature out there: dead, faint or whatever was not in the best interest for anyone in Steven’s eyes…

Thus he ended everything with an Ultra Ball.

-----------
(Minutes upon minutes later)

“Finally awake?” Steven questions the stirring May.

Beside him was the Magma trio of Fred, Touya and Yuji each bearing their own amused expressions after hearing the situation from the 19-year-old.

Steven wastes no time handing the girl a bottle of water and a brief recap of the matter while she and her Pokemon, who were all placed back in their balls, slumbered.

The nostalgic memory of that Steelix made the 13-year-old inwardly curse herself but all the same she asked if she could take it.

This quirked the interest of the Magma Grunts, as well as Steven, who looked at bit surprised that May made such a suggestion; his eyes almost seemed to spark with a bit of respect. But he chose to look away from the 13-year-old with a doubting sigh.

“I personally feel you should just live your life and not put yourself at risk.” The Hoenn Champ comments lightly. “Look what that reaper did to you and your Pokemon in New Mauville. If you couldn’t even light a candle to something you‘ll face more often in the future how can you deal with this?”

May shook with anger as she lowers her head while fiercely gritting her teeth. It was true she knew.

She didn’t have to be reminded that she almost lost everything dear to her yet had to be practically dead to even realized she was enwrapped around such tender warmth and love. She didn’t want to lose that feeling or risk any of them…

Steven furthered his questioning of the girl’s ability by looking down at her with a cold glare. “If you really feel this doubtful about yourself then why don’t you just return home and leave Pokemon training to REAL trainers. I’m sure your house pets can do quite well with your daily chores.”

WHERE THE HELL DO YOU GET OFF SAYING STUFF LIKE THAT TO MY PARTNER!” The infuriated Alia screams at the top of her sound chips. “Acting all high and mighty! Not everyone is naturally good at things when they start. It’s hard work that makes the trade perfect! You-”

“Alia enough. I can fight my own battles…” May grumbles in a morose fashion. Only riling the A.I. Travel companion even further. “That goes beyond that May.”

“I said STOP!”

“Guh!”

“He’s right…I’m not that strong and I have a long way to go. Who knows, I might even get killed along the path I continue to tread.” The 13-year-old eyes Steven harshly now. “…But even if I went home… The lives my family, friends and myself would be at risk regardless now! So what’s one more problem among the ones I already posses? I’m not scared…”

A small grin appears upon the Hoenn Champ’s features but he still chooses to test the waters. “So, the novice thinks she has what it takes to talk trash to a pro? Is your pride that strong?”

Isaac Gravity March 27th, 2005 12:29 PM

Cont
--------
“What? Are you expecting me to get intimidated and cry?!” The 13-year-old counters.

“Enough.” Steven replies calmly. Kindly putting his hand on the chestnut-haired girl’s head. “You’re still an impulsive brat. Like many trainers your age.” Steven hands May the Ultra Ball. “But, of a group of brats one of them usually shows signs of true potential and your one of them. The Steelix should be safest with you. Come Hiromi! Let us see if you can really protect your loved ones…”

“Let me get this straight.” Alia growls. “You were going to give May the ball from the start… So why this nonsense?”

“Just testing the waters…No reason.”

“WELL MAKE ONE!” Alia shouts.

------------
From the view of his binoculars a rather muscular man in white spandex and had his massive red hair in a style that could rival Son Goku’s Super Saya-Jin form hairstyle watched the situation with a malicious grin forming on his face.

“Experiments spotted.”

-----------
(20 minutes later)
(Mt. Chimney. Where Brendan and his party are)

13-year-old Brendan Birch and his Pokemon Ragnarok the Marshtomp laid flat on their backs both in a great amount of pain due to the effects of the Soul Thread during their battle with Ryukyu Gatsura.

“He‘s become really strong.” 10-year-old Mia Stone spoke in a hushed voice while attending to Ragnarok‘s injuries. “I never saw him push himself so far in anything that concerned a confrontation.”

“Well, people change.” Were the words of 17-year-old Lavaridge Gym leader Flannery who sat a few feet away from the group having her own share of bruises and bandages.

The 17-year-old then addresses Mia with a voice full of self-doubt. “Mia right? How the in the name of Moltres did we survive that fall? We were so far up the mountain…now…”

Mia stifles a little giggle then begins to pull out something from her sleeves of her oversized Pink shirt revealing to the teen “the reason.”

“A Zubat?” Flannery asked quizzically.

Mia nods. “It was actually unintentional though. When we were falling this little guy and a whole group of Zubat and Golbat were passing through this area…Luckily there was a huge number of them so they broke our fall…to an extent anyway.”

The Zubat Mia held had a bad injury in its left wing disabling the ability of flight for a while. The creature, still wild and untamed nipped at the 10-year-old’s cut finger. Mia winced in pain a bit but let the Pokemon take its bite.

Whoa! Mia, didn’t you ever hear the movie called Little Shop of Horrors?” Flannery panicked.

The indigo-eyed 10-year-old smiles warmly. “It’s quite fine Flannery-san. Onii-chan told me that sometimes you have to expect things like this before a Pokemon could fully trust you. And considering how I met little Nall-chan this is the least I could do.”

“Nall-chan?” Flannery took a good look at Mia petting the rather distrusting Zubat and then looked at Brendan and Ragnarok resting soundly.

The next thing that ran through the cute Lavaridge Gym Leader’s mind was her witnessing of both: Brendan and Mia in battle.

The 17-year-old couldn’t help but feel a sudden rush of inferiority when comparing these two, as she sees them: Amateurs to someone who spent her entire life mastering the art of Pokemon battle and understanding the meaning of true Battle Spirit.

Flannery turns to the younger girl’s direction when she hears her squeal ONII-CHAN really loudly.

Flannery looks towards the sky see what the 10-year-old was jovially yelling and waving her arms to.

The 17-year-old notices that the tram to Mt. Chimney seems to be working again. As she also noticed that some blue-haired idiot was standing by the open door on a moving vehicle calling out to them.

The fellow then turns to the inside of the tram and rather desperately seems to be saying something to whoever was inside.
Whatever happened, the tram stopped for the moment and the snappily dressed guy quickly rushes inside the tram and throws out a rope to Mia and co.

“HURRY! GRAB IT! WE’LL ROPE YOU UP!”

“OK ONII-CHAN!” Mia simply answers before she turns to Flannery while gesturing to Brendan rather innocently. “Flannery-san I know this is much but…erm…”

Flannery just sighs in an amused manner before slowly getting up and responding to the indigo-eyed girl. “Fine. But you’re carrying the Marshtomp.”

Mia smiles sheepishly as she picks up the smaller and lighter Ragnarok the Marshtomp while Flannery is busy mumbling to herself while carrying Brendan on her strong shoulder.

Regardless of who they picked up; both girls grabbed the roped and were pulled upwards by the blue-haired fellow Mia kept calling Onii-chan and two other men dressed in Team Magma costumes.

--------
(A while later inside the moving tram)

Five minutes have passed since the group consisting of: Team Magma Team Cell #50 Fred, Touya and Yuji. Hoenn Champion Steven Stone, Lavaridge Gym Leader Flannery, with novice trainers: Mia Stone, a visibly exhausted May Hiromi and a sleeping Brendan Birch who slept peacefully on May’s lap, along with his resting Ragnarok the Marshtomp made their way towards the top of the mountain.

And since those five minutes Mia has been shedding nothing but tears of happiness.

But who could blame her really? Her best friend has been in out of it for months with little chance of ever awakening.

The scene just left a widened smile on the faces of everyone else in the tram.

“Mia,” May spoke to her friend in a soft voice. “I thought you were a big strong girl now.”

“b-But…” The indigo-eyed 10-year-old sniffled in a mixture of warmth and sadness. “May-san, I-I thought I’d…”

“No, It was because of you why I was able to look into reason and come back.”

“b-Because of me?”

May removes Mia’s necklace from around her neck and gives it back to the younger girl.

“Stop stuttering.” May orders. “Mia, I’m glad to be able to call you my best friend none-the-less be it... I don’t know what would have happened to me if I hadn’t met you.”

A surprised look fell on the 10-year-old’s face. That face turned to broadened smile as her eyes welled with more tears.

Mia quickly wipes her eyes and gives one last feint sniffle before facing her friend and idol with a confident smile. “I was just shaken up a bit May-san. I really not a weak baby anymore!”

“I never said you were.” May chuckles.

A small groan breathed out by Brendan was the new thing to grab the group’s attention. The snow colored hair 13-year-old painfully attempted to open his eyes as he started to move around a bit.

May softly hushed the boy by brushing her gloved fingers against his warm cheeks and hastily shuffled into his backpack, pulling out a case that held Brendan’s hardly used glasses.

May easily, yet cautiously put the glasses on Brendan’s face, making seeing things a bit easier for the boy.

“From what the others told me it might be better if you keep your glasses on.” Brendan blinks blankly at the sight making May give a mischievous smirk. “You look quite handsome in them Bleach.”

Brendan didn’t even bother to wonder or ask his friend questions. Only a warm smile fell on his face.

The two 13-year-olds continued to look at one another with warm expressions neither saying a word nor caring about the way they were facing each other.

Like always, Brendan was the one to break their stalemate of silence.

“Welcome back…”

“It’s good to be back…”

Flannery wanted to tease Brendan about the situation but knew it’d be better to let the two have their moment. Mia, who often reads romance novels, gushed at the sight.

The males simply grinned through closed eyes.

::RUUMMMMBLLLE::

::SMASH::

“What’s going on!?” Mia yells gripping herself against Steven as the entire background goes red and molten rocks begin to drop about the area like meteorites.

Flannery looks out the window and curses in frustration. “It’s the volcano!”

“We’re too late?!” Brendan questioned. “But we were so close!!” Brendan’s A.I. Travel companion Ciel murmured sadly.

“It’s too late to dwell on what could have and what couldn’t be done!” Fred yells at the group before sounding desperate himself. “Brace yourselves!

A few pieces of molten rock bash against the tram until one of the molten masses of doom is able to burn the rope of the moving tram causing the vehicle along with it’s passengers to fall to their doom.

An explosion and building smoke could be seen over fifty feet below the area.

From that gathering smoke three Tropiuses each holding Fred, Yuji or Touya along with the injured and exhausted May, Brendan, Ragnarok and Flannery as backseat drivers.

As well as a Skarmory who carried Steven by his left leg and Mia who Steven tightly held onto flew away from the demolished sight and towards the top of the mountain.

The three Grass/Flying and the Steel/Flying all hastily maneuvered and avoided as much falling molten rocks as they could but due to the number quickly got grazed from the flames.

“This is getting ridiculous!” Touya growled at as he looked down to the remnants of the tram.

Yuji addressed Fred in a rather quizzical manner. “Hey, don’t you think its weird?” Steven, Fred and Touya turn to him. “Don’t you think that after all this the volcano should have erupted by now?”

“Yeah, I know what you mean…” Fred nods. “Obviously the report Veronica gave us about some type of phenomena taking over the whole operation into its own hands don’t seem so far fetched anymore…”

Steven looks towards the Magma‘s. “Then if what you say is true…then that this… Thing is a bigger threat to itself than living things in general!”

The Magma’s all looked at Steven a bit confused on what he just said. But don’t stop their Tropiuses from following the speedy Skarmory.

Eventually the group all air-rid themselves all the way up to the top of Mt. Chimney.

A strong overwhelming flash of heated fog surrounding the area and an untimed Fire Spin blasted towards the Brontosaurs Pokemon and the Steel bird.

The quartet of flying Pokemon barely avoid getting shot down by the spinning inferno.

Through the fog the unknown fire attacks continued to shoot out towards them. When it wasn’t a fire attack it was crescent V psychic attacks.

Due to the affects of the Psywave attacks the thick fog cleared revealing to the weary group of adventurers all Magma and Aqua’s and their Pokemon on the ground out cold.

Not to mention the cause of the one who, not only did this to them but is putting the entire Hoenn region at the brink of destruction.

“So that’s the little bastard responsible for the destruction of our dreams!” The normally calm Fred growled. “You’ll pay for every bit of your interference! Tropius! Magical Leaf!”

“Trop!” The Long-neck Grass type rises into the air before making an 180 degree turn which launched the never miss grass attack.

‘So all the monkeys have survived the tigers trap at the watering hole.’ The two-in-one Pokemon combination also known as Soltone mentally mused as it broke from its state of suspension and began to hover about which in reflex made the volcano rumble and burble a bit more.

“So that’s the cause of all our troubles.” Flannery spoke disgusted. “What the hell is it?”

May looks to her Pokedex with a quizzical look. “No specific data May.” Alia admits. “But according to the pages it’s really two Pokemon.”

“Soltone and Lunatone.” Ciel cuts her sister off as she further explains. “Brendan! We saw a few of those sun-shaped Pokemon in Meteor Falls! Too bad they were so hard to catch and they fled.”

“Don’t remind me Ciel…” Brendan sighs exasperatedly. “We could’ve really needed the help to know what we were up against…but I still don‘t understand what Team Aqua wanted with that meteorite.”

Steven smiles at his younger sister, who tightly clung onto him for dear life before addressing Brendan and Flannery’s questions. “Solrock and Lunatone. Both Pokemon are recently discovered Psychic/Rock hybrids founded by Prof. Cosmo of Fallarbor Town.” Steven closes his eyes before continuing. “Both of these Pokemon are rumored to have come from outer space in the form of shooting starts or meteorites if you will.”

Steven then looks to his baby sister with a smile. “I’m afraid we may have to part ways again…”

Seeing Mia’s expression only made the 19-year-old want to look more dramatic as he speaks to her again. “Mia, grab onto Skarmory’s leg and don’t let go…” Mia obediently does what’s she’s told. “Good, as for me…”

Steven lets go of his steel bird ally and old friend much to everyone’s shock.

The 19-year-old Hoenn Champion being a man of his passion first and anything else later quickly calls out his Aggron whose bulk easily ignored the overheated fog allowing it and his trainer to land onto the surface of the Mt. Chimney’s top only making a crater where the Steel type landed.

Steven narrows his eyes at the seemly unimpressed Soltone before withdrawing the overheated Aggron and calling out Metagross, who charged forward with Meteor Mash.

From the skies the group watched the brewing battle. Metagross should’ve easily taken down such a foe with one of his mighty Meteor Mash attacks but the Soltone took no damage whatsoever.

The Soltone sways to the left and the right before spinning around 360 degrees to push back the force of the Steel Crab’s attack back at it and its trainer.

“Even the reigning Hoenn Champion is struggling against that thing…” Brendan mummers weakly, gritting his teeth in utter irritance. “It has to be that meteorite that’s doing all this for that Pokemon.”

“…dammit… I hate this…” Flannery mutters before growing even more frustrated at her own inabilities. “Being only able to just idle by and pray that someone saves us! This sucks! It really does!”

“It could be worse,” Team Magma Grunt Touya sighs.

“I don’t know how much worse than this it could get.” Yuji gripes.

“Well,” Fred replies as he lights his supposed last cigarette. “You could always jump down there and burn to a crisp, but even if you do survive the third degree burns you most likely break your legs and die.”

“It’s nice to be calm…but being a little overly calm is kinda creepy wouldn’t you say Brendan?” Ciel jokes lightly.

Brendan only gives a lopsided grin to Ciel’s attempt at wit. Ragnarok just cocks his head to the side.

The snow colored hair boy looks over to May who sat quietly while watching Alia’s screen before putting her safely into her phanny pack and pulled out an Ultra Ball muttering something about irony with a smirk.

May throws the ball and popping out was the rather cruel minded Steelix.

The coldness of the iron snake’s black eyes left unknown chills down the spines of everyone but the Pokemon’s owner.

“STEELIX! DRAGONBREATH!!”

Rather than fully comply with the chestnut-haired girl, Steelix glared murderously at her from the corner of her eyes.

The Steelix attempted to lash at the group but due to its weight the Iron Snake found herself plummeting to Mt. Chimney’s surface at a an alarmingly quick pace.

It was able to slap Yuji’s Tropius with the tip of its tail. Forcing the Pokemon to lose some of its momentum to remain airborne and forced the exhausted May who didn’t hang on tightly enough off of its bulk.

Due to the length of the iron snake May was able to grab onto her tail and join the roller coaster ride down.

MAY!!!/MAY-SAN!!!/HEY KID!!!/ARE YOU AN IDIOT?!?/IDIOT!!!” Came the voices of Brendan, Mia, Flannery and the Magma’s.

Fred quickly grabs Brendan’s arm and Skarmory latches its talons around Mia’s wrist.

“Listen! That girl made her own choice! Just respect it and watch!” Fred coldly answered much to the anger of the May’s friends who couldn’t struggle too much in their equally fatigued states anyway.

CRRRRRREEEEEHIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!” The piercing scream of the Steelix echoed throughout the Mt. Chimney area and a bit beyond.

A strong blackish/purple aura radiated around the wicked iron snake.

It was that same ominous force became her and May’s shield through the heated fog, tearing a thick hole as the Steelix charged through.

“Ok now’s our chance!” Fred shouts before turning to Brendan. “You and your Pokemon better keep your grip!” Brendan nods as he shoves Ciel into his pockets.

“Don’t be a lamer you Numel!” Flannery shouts at Brendan. “There isn’t anything you can do now! You’re in no condition to fight! Neither is that girl…But…” Flannery noticed that Mia and Skarmory had already swept down to the area and that the hole was closing before coming to a quick decision. “Ok now we have to go in!”

Yuji and Touya didn’t react immediately…the two Magma Grunts looked over to their cell leader a bit concerned.

“Hey Fred… sure you should go in there.” Touya asked unsurely. Yuji nods. “Yeah…your condition and all…Perhaps you should…”

Completely ignoring her teammates, the Tropius that acted as air attendant to Fred, Brendan and Ragnarok swept down into the closing fog forcing the others to quickly follow suite.

-------
(Inside the fog)

Finally breaking through the fog. The blackish/purple aura slowly dissipates around the Steelix as she gives a loud exhausted screech as she plummets in the direction of Soltone, Metagross and Steven Stone.

“Metagross Return!” Steven yells as he recalls his Steel Crab.

Steven himself wasn’t in the best of shape either at the moment but even so he still attempts to save his life and that of a near dead Poocyena who whimpered when he was about to flee without noticing him.

“Right…” The 19-year-old sighs as he scoops the Pooch Pokemon in his arms similar to that of football player trying to recover a fumble and flees.

Soltone telekinetically lifts a rock and tosses at the Hoenn Champion. The attack luckily doesn’t connect directly but the power of the throw added with the impact with ground behind the 19-year-old was enough to throw the already imbalanced young adult off his feet and injure him some.

Even though he hit the hot surface pretty hard he never once let go of the Poochyena.

The Soltone hovered where it was since the beginning. The eyes of both Sol and Luna faces of the two-in-one combination lit up as it glowed with a sparkling fiery aura as it again turned to the somehow still active meteorite to amplify its stolen powers.

Unlike the many times where Soltone “borrowed strength” from the meteorite for more strength this time it wasn’t getting any kind of feed…

A relapse in power? Hell freakin’ yes…

The meteorite that everyone sought for… The same meteorite that gave Soltone this power and plunged Hoenn into this dark state slowly cracked and brushed with a strong light before shattering into a smaller chunk of itself.

Soltone found himself cursing its luck as well as its stupidity when the Iron Snake went careening into it.

The ground she landed on (and most of the vicinity around it give or take some yards) shattered and caved in no longer making old Grandpa snowtops a place for human tourist. If you were a molten lavaman however…

The iron snake’s impact left its tail that May held tightly to flailing about in a wild manner.

This forced the 13-year-old off the Pokemon and tumbling safely away from the danger zone right into the solid ground, very hard.

The chestnut-haired 13-year-old was riddled with burns and wounds. Standing on her knees and hands the girl coughed up some blood as a reflex to the impact of the fall. A sharp-toothed smirk falls upon the girl’s face as light hissing noise in a rather ragged manner could also be heard burbling from her.

“Well, aren’t you a wild one…” The tired voice of Amanda spoke.

From the looks of things the woman was seriously dehydrated, there wasn‘t anything keeping her conscious really; her eyes were completely dull and void of life.

Maybe it was memories of something precious or her desires that kept her around thus far.

May turns to the 22-year-old woman with cold feral eyes and hisses at her. This didn’t horrify the woman in fact; she softened at the 13-year-old simply smiling and extending her right hand to touch her cheek.

“You remind me of Child…”

“It was your groups fault this happened to begin with!” The chestnut-haired 13-year-old countered in a rather vicious tone.

The woman flashed a weak melancholy smile before answering. “Yes, and I regret every minute of my weakness… I‘m sorry”

“…Sorry… You’re sorry!?” May growls at the woman. Her long bangs frizzed up in a fashion similar to her growing rage.

All the 13-year-old could think about was all the insane, life-risking danger her two best friends went through. Look at them! If Mia and Flannery hadn’t been their Brendan could have been really blind or worse. If Brendan weren’t there to take the burnt of the damage for the others they all would’ve been killed.

The girl then thinks of third best friend who she just found out was sent to the hospital in the Intensive Care ward in the town where he was suppose to be recovering from his illness! Now one of her close Pokemon allies is gone and who knows when, if at all, she’ll get to him again.

May’s mind then wandered on her Mom and the kind people she befriended in LittleRoot. Only fate knows what’s happening there right now.

There were also a few more people that the chestnut-haired girl worried about. Seeing this woman so relaxed after this was what pushed the girl too far.

“All this and all you can say is sorry…” May growls.

Amanda smiled. May narrowed her eyes as she attempted to grip the woman’s face in her hands but she quickly gave up on that.

“Child…” Amanda continued. “That is all I can say because that’s how it is right now…I was weak, I couldn’t stop Red Sun…I was weak and that’s all it is…It‘s out of my hands now…”

“MAY-SAN!” Mia shouts at her friend who only turns to her at shoulders length before looking towards the growing destruction.

The 10-year-old, thanks to the aerial boost given by the Steel Bird Pokemon, could see Steven shielding something as he limps towards the machine containing the meteorite in hopes of shutting it down. Gaining on him was the increasing chasm that held lava below.
“Onii-chan…” The Mia mummers before addressing her best friend and mentor. “May-san! I’ll be right back to help you! But I have to do something first!”

“WRONG!” Fred’ voice shouted from above. “YOU AND THAT BIRD NEED TO GET INTO HIGHER HORIZIONS NOW!-” Fred cut himself off as he lightly scratched his neck which felt sore from yelling. He then quickly patted his Tropius in a reassuring manner.

“Just keep going…” Fred assures his Pokemon. “I don’t plan on succumbing here! YUJI GET OVER THERE ON THE DOUBLE! WE‘RE PAYING BACK THAT GUY’S FAVOR…”

Yuji complies with his Leaders orders and orders his Grass bronto Pokemon to fly over to Steven. Fred’s Tropius lands rather roughly on the hot ground forcing both its master and Brendan off.

The Magma Grunt groaned in pain a bit yet carried out his duties as a loyal Grunt quickly rushing to his superior’s side. Amanda smiles weakly at her subordinate before she gave a rather expressionless face towards Archie, who lie in a comatose state of shock this whole time.

Though hating the Team Aqua Leader for all these years for his pure ignorance and self suiting interests even she felt sympathy for a now broken, sad shell of man driven by mad desire only to leave himself with truly nothing in the end.

“Grunt…Please forget me and survey the area for all survivors…Magma or Aqua…”

It was these words that made something inside the man tick finally making him speak. His response?

The way a guy like Archie would respond to the relative to his hated arch-nemesis.

Isaac Gravity March 27th, 2005 1:07 PM

Cont 2
-----

“That‘s what separate dreamers from men…Woman…Take your pity and shove it! Team Magma…their associates and their Leaders are weak! Why else would they cry to brats for help to defeat a group so robust as us?”

The Aqua Leader then gives a hardened glare at the two brats. “Do you inexperienced little blacklists truly believe I’d idle by and let you destroy the only chance to obtaining my dreams…Never…Team Aqua will crush all who get in their way EVEN IF IT IS A MERE CHILD!!!”

Brendan pretty much ignored the empty threat while May’s eyes were still locked on the expanded lava-filled chasm.

One would say that’s reasonable. Even though it may have alternate reasons for doing what it did, the Steelix did do what May asked it and then some.

“I doubt a Steelix would die that easily from something like that.” Brendan whispers to the girl he can’t ever ignore. “They do have the ability to dig to the center of the earth.”

A dark smile formed on the chestnut-haired girl’s face as she murmured. “I know.”

Adjoining to May’s words a new spectacle appears to the weary group. Starting with a tremor that made the lava burble while that meteorite pulsated with one final flash of light.

A vertical spiral of flames spurts out of the volcano, forcing away the airborne Skarmory and Tropius.

Finally making themselves known to the group were the combating duo of Soltone and Steelix.

Both Pokes usually hard bodies looked softened and overheated. Soltone was of the same glow of the meteorite.

Fire pumped from the Sun/Moon creature as it desperately clashed with its giant foe. The Steelix was completely engulfed in a strong blackish/purple aura. Her normal color scheme itself was no longer that of the light but that of a heightened darkened creature of the night.

The two-in-one creature then telekinetically forced the vertical spiral of lava to bind and harden itself against the Iron Snake Pokemon.

It then attacks her with the full intention that the move will melt through the Steel-type, taking it apart.

Not that it stopped the creature from struggling.

The Steelix gave out her patented piercing screech which forced the airborne group out of the skies and onto the ground while they shook in raw paralysis along with the already grounded group of onlookers.

The attack even made the so-called malevolent being like the hovering Solrock/Lunatone combinations freeze in its air-defying place.

With her ominous aura rippling around like an amoeba on the path of multiplying, the Iron Snake broke free from her bonds. The Steelix then drops her entire unconcealed by lava mass in a collapsed style to fully crush the Soltone against Mt. Chimney’s surface.

Since the attack was launched on the eastward side of Mt. Chimney the impact of the attack further damaged Mt. Chimney’s eastern outline. Forcing many landslides from the exterior of the once dormant tourist spot and cave-ins from within the Mountain’s dark, humid, maze-like chambers.

From where the battle took place between two vastly altered creatures known as Pokemon the surface either tore further apart or slowly caved-in. The distance where the only conscious set of onlookers watched they were safe…for the time being.

After her first heavy hit attack on the Soltone. Steelix lifted herself up to repeat her wild actions two more times preparing herself for a third.

CRRRRRREEEEEHIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!

ARRRRRAAAAAAAARGGGHHHH!!!

Though the first scream was the usual cry of the aged Steelix; the second cry was that of her newfound trainer who, unlike the others was completely unphased by the paralytic effects of Steelix’s screech but suffered the excruciating pain of emitting the painstaking blackish/purple aura that the dark-toned Iron Snake constantly radiates at her emotions peak.

May’s feral eyes were fully slits now. A few more near inhuman screams escaped the 13-year-old as she clutched the left side of her head with left hand and pressed against it with her fingers very hard.

The 13-year-old’s right hand and knees kept the balance of her body, which burned and trembled in utter misery. A small mixture of tears and saliva formed on the ground above the girl’s face as she continued her pained cries.

Her own usually red aura sparked out from time to time proving that she was resisting the alien control.

From within the 13-year-old: Her inner child, once known as her wild half sobbed while huddling herself in emptiness as she shielded her head with her arms and screamed a little mantra that was suppose to soothe her usual atmosphere.

Before Steelix’s third attempt of her reckless attack could connect, the two-in-one Pokemon combination scorched the Steelix’s face with a Strong Fire Spin. Which forced the Steel Snake to turn away from her foe while utter a pained cry, allowing it time to hover around her to launch another attack.

The Steelix wildly lunged at the Soltone snapping her steel jaws at it constantly. Due the recklessness of the attack the Soltone was able to avoid the repeated assault until it was forced to flinch due to the lapse of sudden strength.

The aged Iron Snake didn’t waste anytime! Opening her massive jaws, she quickly clamped the two-in-one creation in her mouth.

The meteorite within the machine that caused so much grief was at its final point. Cracking sounds could be heard from the disintegrating space rock while its machine container creaked and clanked as it shook with one last jolt of strength before blowing a fuse.

A flash of light flickered from within the Steelix’s mouth before the enraged Soltone whose entire body was softened and riddled with cracks all over forcefully opened her jaws.

A stronger version of vertical spiral of flames engulfs the Steelix this one actually ripped at her aura pushing her to unbelievable lengths of pain.

As Steelix suffered the attack from the Solrock/Lunatone combination May suffered a similar fate. Little flickers of flame whizzed in and out of her body and Pokeballs, which contained her allies. The physical and mental pain the girl experienced was unbearable.

The emotional pain her friends felt by only being able to merely watch their friend’s torment was just has harsh.

From the point of views from the other conscious onlookers be it ally, acquaintance, enemy or Pokemon; was left in their own pool of thoughts as they mentally analyzed the situation whether it be the battling duo or the girl.

‘This again… I’m really sick of watching her suffer like this… and what am I doing about it… Like always nothing!’ (Brendan)

‘Why isn’t our lives simple anymore!’ (Ragnarok)

‘Brendan and Mia are unusual but her! … WHAT are these kids!’ (Flannery)

‘m-My body feels so numb…and May-san is hurt…I’m useless in the end afterall…’ (Mia)

‘Cripes! Isn’t anything ever simple?’ (Yuji)

‘Zoinks! If that lava doesn’t end me those two psychos will!’ (Yuji’s Tropius)

‘Never a dull day…’ (Touya)

‘That poor girl…Maybe one of my refreshing fruit could help her…The mood is just too dreary I hope I have enough tasty fruit for everyone.’ (Touya’s Tropius)

‘It looks as though the mission and out a complete bust… How bothersome…’ (Fred)

‘Boss…’ (Fred’s Tropius)

‘That girl… Another demon sent to ruin my dreams…’ (Archie)

‘Well today isn’t gonna be a clear day…’ (Steven’s Skarmory)

‘I see…The Steelix is attempting to create a link with her partner…Yet in the most spiteful of ways…The emotions that creature is emitting is too much a strain on her…I fear she could…Tsk this my fault!’ (Steven)

‘Aw d*mn, we’re gonna die.’ (The Poochyena Steven is holding)

Amanda weakly looks at the suffering May and then to that of the berserk Steelix.

‘Such a horrible creature…’ 22-year-old Team Magma Executive Amanda thought as she just weakly watched the chestnut-haired girl suffer.

Certain thoughts of a certain raven-haired girl with topaz eyes flashed through Amanda‘s mind as she struggled to move her drained body.

‘The world I wanted to create was suppose to be a wonderful place for those like you and her… A paradise void of hostilities and fear… I know how much those like you suffer but then again, we all suffer in our own way; be it petty or heart-wrenching.’

Amanda is able to get to the ball but due to her own lack of strength at the moment her hold on the ball is weak, allowing the red and white sphere to roll away from her.

Popping out from the Pokeball was the alphabet inspired Unknown.

The L-shaped creature glanced dully at its trainer then became wide-eyed when it saw the two combatants before it then looked back to its trainer with a rather saddened look, fully understanding what may happen.

‘My understanding of Psychic Pokemon nor Custom Tactics may not be as great as yours, but at any cost I will I will not see another like you suffer!’ Amanda breaks from her mental speech and talks to her obscure Pokemon.

“It’s time… Mass Teleportation.”

Unknown shuts its one-eye tightly, trembling a bit as a multicolor spiral forms around it.

It starts out as a little white sphere that formed from within. That white sphere slowly expands, engulfing the letter-shaped Pokemon in a shimmering white light. That shimmering white light slowly expanded beyond the Pokemon and swiftly took over the entire top of Mt. Chimney.

-----------
(Somewhere around the highlands of Route 111)

The muscular Goku-esque man with fiery lions mane watched all the transpiring events from his high-powered binoculars. Removing them for only a moment the man smirks.
“Pah, I guess Ein was a bit too sudden to dump the reject tools used for the preparation of project SHADOW. But I must admit, not even I could’ve counted on these events…”
-----------

(Back in the war zone)

So… That human stole her power source away. The Steelix thought.

That woman just didn’t steal away the girl; all the little humans and their Pokemon disappeared…

…Why? Does that human know her power source? Were they “family”?

Family is a word alien to her after all…She was born from out of an egg from a cold lab…
The only family she had was a psudeo one in the Mt. Chimney area…Until she either witnessed their fall or killed them herself for her own needs…

…Those guys… what are they to each other that could force her to lose? And become part of their pet brigade?

…They were all just food needed for strength in this fight…Her food, her reserve…

…Her necessity to survive this madness…

With this as her resolution, Steelix shook her head about wildly, forcefully closing down her jaws. Her black eyes widened as cracks began to chip at her usually flawless form.

The Solrock/Lunatone combination struggled with all its might to escape the grip of his mighty foe. Why wasn’t it escaping? Where was all of its glorious power?

The scent of a dragon’s air was heathed heavily from the Iron Snake’s mouth and into the wind.

Steelix closed her jaws with no remorse. A loud crunching noise echoed throughout the area.

She won… They won…

The Steel Pokemon then turns when she hears a hissing noise. She turns to the source like a curious child.

There. She saw a tiny machine. Very tiny by her standards.

So this was the thing that was the source to all the fuss?

…Idiots…

The Steelix came to her very well thought out decision about the annoying contraption.

She smashed it with her bulk.

Why eat that thing? Look what it did to her meal? Besides she already regrets eating him for mere reason of tasting bad.

With no strength or will do anything. Steelix sunk herself into the lava. Hopefully she could dig into cooler ground and get her body to harden again.

The Iron Snake departed, not even caring for a heroes bow.

-------
(Route 112)
(Two Hours Later)

“That’s a relief, she finally starting to stir.” Brendan sighs as a response to May Hiromi’s fluttering of her eyes and heaving of a little groan.

Laying flat on her back, May was quite surprised when she realized her head rested on Flannery’s lap in mock older sister-like care.

When the 13-year-old attempted to move around Mia lightly held onto her right arm, looking at her quite concerned. “Please, don’t move around so much May-san…You scared us quite a bit.”

All the chestnut-haired girl could see was the downpour of rain droplets that dispersed the thick smoke that once filled the sky and washed away the tainted snow that poisoned the lungs of many. Be it Human or Pokemon…

The warm smiles on her close friends faces also brought the 13-year-old to mummer, brimming full of hope: “Is it over?”

The broadening smile on Brendan’s face, the warm smile and state of near tears from Mia, as well as a grin and a wink from Flannery was all the 13-year-old needed to know for now. And with that she took some well-deserved rest.

“Yeesh, Kids today are bursting full of energy.” Yuji gripes. “If I had half of their energy…”

“Those four did more than hold Hoenn’s share of courage.” Steven replies, fondly petting the Poochyena he rescued from Soltone. “But, in any case this nightmare is behind us now…We should head to Lavaridge Town to rest up. I know of a alternate way to reach the Jagged Pass.”

Touya gives a little shrug while sighing dejectedly. “It’s gonna be hard considering all the mess around us…One hell of a fight must’ve happened down here.”

Yuji nods. “And there’s too many bodies for us to carry in our current shape…”

“Such lazy guys…” Steven mutters with a smirk.

Fred just smirks at the sight before turning back to the unconscious form of Amanda who wore a smile on her face. ‘Don’t know what you did boss but you saved us all…’

Fred broke from his smile when he noticed the 22-year-old woman wasn’t breathing.

The Magma Grunt quickly scrambled three feet ahead of him when he saw a familiar object made of stone. Pulling out the object, the man with the dreams of building Verdanturf’s around the world dropped the object and shuddered in loss.

“Fred? What’s up?” Touya calls out to his pained companion.

“Eh? Hey Fred what’s wrong buddy you can tell us.” Yuji adds.

Fred didn’t answer he was too brokenhearted to tell his longtime friends the news that would go down as: The second great tragedy of Team Magma and Aqua.

As if showing a type of symbolism to it all, the rain poured at a harder rate. Showing natures anguish and sorrow at man’s stupidity.

‘The downpour of an angry Mother Earth…’ Archie mentally mused as he looked at the still form of the smiling Amanda. Thinking of his departed cousin Ayame whose face bared a similarity to the 22-year-old’s when she was brutally killed.

The Team Aqua Leader then weakly glares at his left hand and at the carnage around him. “What in the name of the sea have I become?” Archie mummers as a stray tear rolls down his cheek.

-------
(Black screen. Alia narrates)

[And so, the bitter conflict of Mt. Chimney has finally come to an end…
Back-up for both Teams came to the scene. It was a heated confrontation to say the most.]

[The Magmas were at a pained loss at the loss of some of their most skilled spy’s and trainers. But were deeply grieved over the loss of their cherished Executive Amanda whose always treated them all with love and equality. Quote Team Magma Grunt Fred’s words: “She was a loving woman who’d easily give her life for her family. Whether they were artificial or blood.”]

[Aqua also suffered a great amount of casualty loss among them was their best seafarers, their best warriors and prized scientist Schneider who selflessly attempted to put a close to the Soltone’s actions only to be thrown off the mountain by that creature. They later found his mangled body lying in landslide grave.]

[The two Teams, Thanks to the efforts of Steven Stone, Team Aqua Leader Archie and the three remaining Team Magma Grunts was able to calm down before any more unnecessary bloodshed should be unleashed. Both sides gave each other one last hard malicious look before taking any and all unconscious and barely alive members of their groups and going their separate ways. Both more determined than ever to wipe the other out and achieve their dreams.]

[Today truly will be an event remembered in Hoenn. The entire region (especially those close to the Mt. Chimney area) was in complete shambles. Many homes, shops and places of human and Pokemon refuge was demolished or horribly damaged. Many lives were lost today, many lives changed.]

[As an act of gratitude from the three Magma’s Fred, Touya and Yuji: May and co. was taken to Lavaridge Town where they are currently recuperating from their ordeal.]

---------------
(Route 119)
(Weather Center)

Team Magma Leader Maxie stops in his examinations of a blueprint to just stare blankly at the ceiling for the moment.

“Sir? Is anything the matter?” Magma’s top Admin Tabitha questioned hastily.

“Tabitha? Did you ever hear of the saying when living beings create a type of connection regardless of what that bond might be?”

“No sir I believe I haven’t”

“Mm.” Maxie mutters before looking at his subordinate enlightened. “Though you may not have heard of it, I believe you have felt it in some shape or form. That invisible feeling in your heart you get when something painful happens to the close for.” Maxie gives Tabitha an unsure expression. “Though I know this sense I feel is active at this moment… All I can feel nothing…”

“You’re pretty much a man who feels the sorrows of the world sir.” Tabitha grins.

“Perhaps.”

“Oh right! About the condition of-”

“Do not concern.” Maxie responds coldly much to Tabitha’s surprise. “I’ve warned Angelique time and time again about the risks of using her full powers knowing how frail she is. That’s why I say don‘t concern.” Maxie assures. “I doubt she’ll let herself die until Magma fully has accomplished its goal… Perhaps this will just teach the girl the values of listening to others and swallowing her pride from time to time.”

Tabitha was a bit surprised by what his leader had just said about someone he views as his own daughter but couldn’t stress the utmost importance of Magma mission.

Maxie turns away from the Admin saying he’ll leave the rest up to him and the Grunts.

Walking outside Maxie looks up at the cloudy sky with a look of indifference.

‘It’s a hard road that man must live.’ Maxie mentally sighs. ‘Justice comes in many different shapes and perspectives for many different people… Many suffer because of these conflicts. But in the end there is only one true meaning of justice and it is that of Team Magma.’

(End Story Arc 3)
End Chapter 20
---------------

Updates- 10/11/05- Such a rough rewrite (hardest/longest one to do) … But this was surely worth it! This like many of the heavily updated chapters mentioned on my profile was in need of the greatest revisions. How I missed them during my four month long revision almost six months back is beyond me. But what matters: These are how they should be.

(Notes)

1. Think of the properties in Chemistry, a term called Half Life where certain organic objects takes hundreds of years until it deteriorates into nothing. Both Team Magma and Aqua knew once they leeched the full power of the space rock to their advantage it’d become brittle and useless. However, Soltone didn’t.

2. “Child” Amanda refers to Angelique by this name.

-----------
Yes, I know that Soltone’s last stand was very anti-climatic… maybe even a little rushed. I was a bit inspired by Godzilla movies for the whole Steelix vs. Soltone bit… I even had Steelix pull a Godzilla after she won.

Oh, and I want to beat you guys to the punch before you ask. The Soltone didn’t truly have the power to destroy the entire Region. The meteorite did really boost its powers, yet at the same time the Soltone squandered the true bulk of the meteorites active properties by trying to heighten its own “power” (giving it False power if you will) then used whatever was left showing off.

Next- Special bonus Chapter!

Isaac Gravity April 15th, 2005 7:39 PM

Disclaimer- I don’t own Pokemon or anything else

----------
(Route 112)

“Many of Hoenn’s finest have come to investigate the mysterious eclipse that covered all of Hoenn during the Mt. Chimney warnings.” TV News reporter Gabby reported from the recently to the public area of Route 112. “It’s still highly unknown if either Teams Aqua or Magma were responsible for the incident at out once beloved sleeping giant or if they were responsible for making the seemingly endless stream of dark skies, earthquakes and tainted snow that plagued many areas….”

Gabby turns to the camera and makes look that would most would call invigorating.

“Even though there are still a handful Routes have been closed to the public; we can say this dear people of Hoenn: Despite all this pain we still have endured we survived and its safe to say that the sun will rise tomorrow and days to come…”

----------
(Somewhere in Hoenn)

“What a load of bull!” Regional Interpol Agent Gabrielle Jenny grumbled as she turned off the TV in disgust, earning her a few complaints from her fellow workers. “How can people stomach that pompous little ditz?”

“If I didn’t know any better comrade…” Gabrielle Jenny’s longtime partner and friend Nasstastja Yukon grins. “I’d say you were a bit jealous of the tabloid woman nyet?”

“She’s just annoying.” The turquoise-haired agent pouts.

“Oh yeah, she’s so jealous.” One of the male agents laughs.

His laughter forces everyone else to laugh in the turquoise-haired agent’s expense.

“Yeah, yeah laugh it up bozos!” Gabrielle Jenny huffs bitterly. “But you know I’m right!”

“Right about your assumptions about the League? Perhaps Jenny, perhaps.” The Chief of the sector mutters completely oblivious to what was going on.

“Err Chief!” The turquoise-haired agent jumps nervously. “I was uh…”

“Never mind the chit-chat Jenny!” The Chief hastily responds. “Hoenn’s overall reputation is looking pretty bleak at the moment.”

“Commander what did the technicians find?” Nasstastja queried.

“Much to what we expected. The League seems to be suffering from many fiscal charges from many questionable financial sources.” The Chief reports. “And according to the Head of the League himself, they claim to suffering from quite a lot of data leaks.”

“Data leaks?” One male staff member scoffs. “Hmph, someone needs to scan for spyware…”

“I think he means hackers.” A female staff member corrects. “The League in Johto complains of little cyber punks breaking into their firewalls from time to time as well. There’s no point to hacking the League mainframe though.” The woman shrugs. “Trainer information is updated by the week even if there is rundowns from time to time...”

“There’s lots of reason to want to break into something as big as a regional League database Mireille.” Gabrielle Jenny states matter-of-factly. “Fame, information, foul play. The skies the limit. These little bastards just see the Internet as one huge playground and see their victims as the latest level.”

“Information and sabotage likely but still pointless.” Mireille scoffs. “What’s the point of fame since you’d have to leave a little trace of your data behind to prove you’re the one. I don’t think anyone is willing to get arrested or worse off be so spiteful as to get someone else’s trainer license taken away over fame.”

“Then you’re more of a rookie than I took you be!”

“No! You’re just too deluged in the conspiracy theory!”

“Ladies, please calm down.” The Chief replies in a mellow tone. “Both of you have good points about this matter and this is why I’m sending you to pick up the information we need on the inside.”

“Me or her?” Both Jenny and Mireille questioned.

“Gabrielle is the best when it comes to undercover work.” Nasstastja comments knowingly.

“Well, Mireille isn’t any amateur herself!” Mireille’s partner Agent Alvin Smiddy counters.

“That is true.” The Chief admits. “And we wouldn’t want the League’s mole or moles to become to curious about our utter silence after months of negotiations…
It takes the government veteran a moment to think this out but he comes to his conclusion. “This will be a two man job.” He states. “Agents Jenny and Acoba, since you two seemed the most interested about this perhaps a dual effort would be needed.”

Both females stand up and salute.

“Well do our best to keep tabs. Try not to get your cover blown. Remember Hoenn‘s credibility is at stake.”

“Yes Sir!”

------------
Side Story 2: Aftermath
------------

(Two weeks later)
(Lavaridge Town)

The flickering spark must be kindled by some sort of catalyst before igniting into the flame it’s truly meant to be. Could this be also said for a human?

With hair as wild as flames passion this young woman must blaze through the already damp path laid out for her. Cultivating her know-how, moving only through her hunger for true self worth. She is the Elemental Master of Fire!

…A spark waiting to become a fire.

---------------
Flannery laid on her bed with a very sullen look on her face. The 17-year-old Gym Leader listened almost trance like to her Cassette Player, constantly rewinding back to a ceratin part of the song. It didn’t really bother her; in her mind a similar type of playback ran through her head.

…Her hesitance…Her humiliation…

-------------
(Flashback)

Flannery gritted her teeth at what the 13-year-old was saying to her. “The- Who the hell do you think you are!? What’s with you two!? Why are you two so calm huh!?”

Gatsura was still pretty angry, BUT he is a man of the sea and goes by his own code. Thus, he decided to enlighten the young Gym Leader by what Brendan and Mia meant. “You had your edge at the tip of your fingers yet like the land lover you are, chose to shoot off your mouth and play around.

“What…”

“You knew a Custom Tactic yourself.” Brendan spoke solemnly yet a bit annoyed. “This whole fight would’ve resulted differently if you just used it. What were you so afraid of?”

(End Flashback)
--------

“It’s not like I wanted to…but…” Flannery sat up quickly, constantly beating her face in a manner when one splashes water on their face. “What am I talking about!?” The 17-year-old yells aloud, obviously put back into her usually self. “An elite trainer like myself has no time to cry over a little mistake! My whole town is in shambles and needs my help! Hahahaha! That’s right! I don’t have time to contemplate my losses! Gotta go forward and onto my duties!”

Grinning to herself, Flannery rushes about her large Inn-like home, picking up a lot of plywood and working tools while greeting any visitor she passed by that stayed in the home.

‘Who cares about those kids anyway?’ Flannery mentally rambled. ‘They’re the ones whose butts are still in the hospital. Not like me, it was in and out! They need to lay off the junk food and drink more milk!’

Flashes of the battle rush through the 17-year-old’s mind, making her take back her rather bitter words. “No, that isn’t fair to say… They really gave it they’re all and got hurt because of that… D*mn! All I could do that whole time was just play support AND I COULDN’T EVEN DO THAT RIGHT!!!’

When the brooding Lavaridge Gym Leader was about to leave the family room of her home, a long-haired bleach blonde woman in her late twenties stopped the teen in her tracks.

“Good morning lovely Empress!” The woman named Yuriko greeted the teen in a singsong manner.

“Hello Yuriko.” Flannery greets back before tossing the pretty woman an annoyed look. “And drop the “empress” stuff will ya?”

The woman named Yuriko closes her jaded color eyes to flash the teen an amused look. “Old habits die hard. Anyway, are you going to help in the reconstruction of the town again?”

Flannery nods proudly. “Well, yeah. It’s my duty as Gym Leader! I grew up here Y’know and all the citizens here took care of me after Grandapa died so I’m indebted to protect my people!”

“My, quite noble aren’t we?” Yuriko teases as she gives a cat-like smile. This only makes Flannery puff her cheeks a bit annoyed. “ANYWAY YURIKO…How’s the Inn status?”

Yuriko frowns at the question. “Well, its getting pretty tight…Are you sure we should let all these people stay here for free? Seems like most of them are just freeloading…”

“Yeah, I know…” Flannery agrees with the older woman/inn caretaker. “But things are just tight in general now…A lot of people are suffering…But…” The 17-year-old adds while flashing a rather sly look. “Tell them that any and all donations offered to their gorgeous hostesses will be graciously accepted! This opens to them more privileges as guests in the Inn and further nurtures our loving hospitality towards them.”

Hearing this, the 28-year-old woman couldn’t help but shake her head and smirk. “A shrewd business woman as always… Just like your Grandmother…She’d be proud to see how well you’ve grown up.”

Flannery flashes the woman a weak smile and rushes off to town.

------------
(A bit later in town)

Flannery dillgently nailed a board over a destroyed wall of a kindly old woman’s home.

“Thank you so much for your help Flannery dear, you’re such a good girl.” The kindly woman compliments from the bottom of her heart. “You’ve been such a great asset to us all right now but you should really concern about your health right now dear. Flu season is right around the corner y’know. And you still have such nasty bruises from your mountain climbing.”

Flannery turns to the woman warmly. “Nah, I don’t deserve any praise and I‘m well rested. Lavaridge is my home and you always took such good care of me when Grandpa passed away… This is only a start of what I should be doing for you.”

“Such an amazing girl. Possesing both strengths of both Grandparents… I’m sure they’d be proud that you’re following so closely in their footsteps deary.” The kind old woman begins before looking at the 17-year-old a bit more concerned. “But wouldn’t you rather be out playing with friends and achieving the dreams that you want? You’re only one person, with one life and you should live it the way you want it.”

The words uttered by the old woman constantly kept rushing through the Lavaridge Gym Leader’s head. She bit the bottom of her lip lightly as a flash of her younger days swept through her.

-----------
(9 years ago)

In the Outskirts of Lavaridge Town a little redheaded girl in a blue dress and matching blue shoes accompanied by an Old man stood at opposite ends of eachother.

“Wow Grandpa! So your finally gonna train me!” An 8-year-old Flannery announced happily to the retired Elite Four veteran/current Lavaridge Gym Leader.

Flannery’s Grandfather gave the girl a steely look before pulling out a Pokeball. “Flannery, you will listen to me.” he spoke gruffly. “Do you know what it takes to be a good Pokemon trainer?”

Flannery shook in a rather genki manner before her right fist punches the air. “Of course! To become a Pokemon Master!”

“FOOLISH CHILD!!! It’s that kind of thinking that will only result in only harsh disappointment and bitter self loathing!” Flannery froze in her place from the rise in the old-timer’s tone. Seeing this the old man calms down. “The title Pokemon Master is only given to those who undergone many a hardships and maintained many triumphs…It’s not an easy title to grasp.”

Flannery gives a little snort as she rolls her eyes. “So? I hope you aren’t discriminating Grandpa just because I’m a girl! I‘m the best in town! No one can beat me!”

“And thus is why you’re weak.”

Flannery becomes pissed and charges towards the old man, bombarding him with a barrage of weak punches while yelling at the top of her lungs.

The old man only smirks at this. “You may be a competitive person Flannery…but you lack the the drive that separates a competitor with a winner.”

“Yeah?” The 8-year-old sniffles. “And what do I lack that makes me so weak huh?!”

“You lack what makes the true feeling of the fight. What makes even a hopeless battle seem like one to remember…That is, young one, you lack: The understanding of the Battle Spirit.”

Flannery stops her actions and looks at the veteran trainer puzzled. “Battle Spirit?”

“The passion of a true warrior.” The old man begins. “The power that drives one to better oneself rather chase the coveted dream that many race for yet fail to understand… Even if you are determined, even if you have the power and will to win; without the Battle Spirit resonating within you and your Pokemon partners you will be nothing more than a power hungry ego-maniac.”
Flannery’s Grandfather turns to leave. “Until you understand this Flannery, you’ll never grasp your true potential and will ultimately be a waste of my time…”

The 8-year-old’s hair overlaps her eyes as she stood there in pure silence and utter shock.

(End Flashback)
-----------

“AHHH!” Flannery yelps.

She was so indulged in her flashback that she absentmindedly banged her thumb against the hammer rather heavily.

“Oh my! Flannery are you alright?” The old woman panics. “Stay put! I’ll get you some bandages!”

As the woman rushed into her home Flannery nips on her injured thumb and curses her situation to herself.

-----------------
(Lavaridge Hospital)

“There you go!” Steven Stone proudly announced as he puts a huge basket full of what it seems to be creams and lotions on May’s hospital bed.

This left a look of puzzlement on the faces of May Hiromi and Brendan Birch who sat to the girl’s right.

The snow-colored haired boy was riddled with bandages and suffered some rough injures. Also, since the battle Brendan’s vision still wasn’t at his best, forcing the boy equip his much detested glasses.

To May’s left was her 10-year-old travel companion, the baby sister to Steven Stone: Mia. The Indigo eyed girl was also in bandages but her injures weren’t as bad as May or Brendan’s.

“Creams?” May muttered a bit confused.

“Not just any creams” Steven corrects. “These are special massage creams from the Blossom Company import lines. I made sure to put enough different creams for all you and your Pokemon.”

Mia nods, continuing her brother’s words. “Mum’s company doesn’t just reside in Hoenn…It’s a worldwide chain. She’s made many merges with many different businesses large or small so there’s a lot of different kinds of perfumes, lotions and skin care items being mass produced that not even Onii-chan or I know of yet.”

“On the contrary Mia. There’s a lot of skin and beauty care items you don’t know of… But as heiress to Mother’s company your going to have to start familiarizing yourself very soon.”

Mia downcast her eyes May’s bed a bit unsurely muttering “r-Right.”

The girl’s so-called words of conformation didn’t seem to convince May, who glanced at her friend with a frown.

Brendan in the meantime examines two of the Pokemon creams. “Excite Scent, Vivid Scent? Hmm.”

“You’re in luck.” Steven replies to the snow colored boy. “Those are powerful new Pokemon massage treament creams that are produced only in the Orange Islands. They’re currently being planned on being shipped as one-time sellers value to a land called Orre. Mother hopes that selling certain exotic skin care and beauty items as elusive items to certain lands would increase the import rate from buyers.”

“That‘s a pretty good strategy.” Brendan comments making May nudge him with her elbows. “Don’t give him a reason to brag.”

Steven closes his eyes while he gives a little shrug. “Well Hiromi, if you want my opinion, you could learn a lot of from your friend there. Not only does he respect his superiors but also,” The 19-year-old continues. “I’ve received no scorn what so ever from him. A first from a male trainer I meet who knows of my reputation.”

“I-I’m not all too into championships and the like…” Brendan truthfully counters. “I’m more interested in completing Ciel’s Pokemon pages. Besides, I’m on this journey to work hard and see all that effort as a reflection of myself and only myself… Nothing more.”

Thinking back to what the snow-colored haired boy had told her, May looks at her friend with an admirable smile.

Mia is also quite impressed by Brendan’s aspirations but wasn’t feeling too pleased altogether at the moment. ‘Mum always seemed so lax and scatterbrained… It looks like I’m the one who doesn’t know left from right…’

“You’re quite an impressive guy. And I must admit, I’m not one who’s easily impressed.” Steven states, obviously eyeing May’s reaction to Brendan’s words.

Brendan sheepishly rubs the back of his head. “Err thanks… That’s a good bit of praise coming from the Champ.”

“No,” Steven interjects. “I don’t believe there’s any need for formalities here… Please just call me Steven Stone: Or simply Steven would suffice.”

Steven then gives the group thumbs up, while flashing Brawly’s trademark flashing his pearly whites, causing a glinting sound to be made. This caused many passing Nurses to blush feverishly or faint.
However, it only forced a huge face fault to fall onto the faces of May, Brendan and Mia.

‘It’s suddenly getting quite feverish in here! I might need to take my own temperature at this rate Ehehehe.’ (A random nurse)

‘What…was that?’ (Brendan)

‘He must know Brawly…’ (May)

‘Onii-chan…So not cool…’ (Mia)

Steven stopped short in his “pose” when a ringing sound came from his pocket. The trio watched the 19-year-old who turned his back to them to address the call with blank expressions.

To their surprise, Steven closes his cell phone rather rushed and turns to them with a grim look.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t get to chat with you longer.” The Hoenn Champion politely begins his removal words. “But there’s a matter that I must head out of town to confirm… I’m just pleased to know that my baby sister is in good hands.”

Without even waiting for May and co. response Steven rushes out the door.

“Erm…See you Onii-chan?” Mia dumbly answers to the air.

--------------
(Two Hours Later)

Finally able to exits hospital doors, May, Brendan and Mia all decided to check on their battle-torn allies in the Pokemon Center.

Their visitation turned into a checkout as the extensive damages made to the Pokemon hospital severely compromised a lot of its services. No need to say many were pissed about the matter; but they should be grateful that the place is up and running at all…

Aside from the rants of whiners, Mia happily rubs her cheeks against her the five balls, which held Daigo the Ivysaur, Hiro the Treecko, Sharky the Carvanha, Jenrya the Phanpy, and Nall the Zubat. (Whom she pets names Nall-chan.) Promising all of them she’ll never endanger them like that again.

The 10-year-old deceased her smothering to steal a peak at her eerily silent human comrades: Aside from stealing a few glances at one another, not a word was uttered between the heavily flushed May and Brendan as the chestnut-haired girl had one arm around the snow-colored haired boy’s shoulders to aid her walking leverage.

From the coordinated way the two wobbled while moving, it was hard to tell which was the real heavily injured one…

May winced a bit to hold her ribs with her free hand forcing the boy hastily stop in his place and for Mia to rush to her side to keep her standing.

“Sorry!” Brendan quickly answers.

“Why do you need to apologize?” The chestnut-haired girl snaps before apologizing for it. “…Brendan, what do you plan on doing now?” The girl changes topics in a soft tone.

Brendan looked at his friend a tad surprised before answering the question. “Before this mess happened, I had my hopes high on visiting Jagged Pass to gather up data for Ciel as well as the herbs that grow there and see for myself if the perseverance volcanic ash gave it was really responsible for their high level of potency… But with all this… I really don’t know anymore…”

“…If… your so dead-set on doing something…” The chestnut-haired 13-year-old starts coyly. “Perhaps you can help me with my training?”

“In your condition!?” Brendan’s AI travel companion Ciel squeals from the boy’s pockets. “May, you can barely stand on your own let alone have your equally injured Pokemon expect to do the same!-Brendan please say something to her!”

Brendan frowns at this but hastily examines damaged town, using that as proof enough why it isn‘t such a great idea for May to train.

May refutes this by saying its perfect to hasten the level of the work.

Isaac Gravity April 15th, 2005 8:09 PM

Cont
---------------
::BRRZTP BRRZP BWEEP::

As Mia was the one carrying the chestnut-haired girls phanny pack, she pulls out the buggy Alia.

“Scanning… …. …. …. BRZZZT … This area is very well suiting for stamina buildup.” The A.I. companion responds contently. “May, we should being work ASAP otherwise we’ll never catch up for lost time. Or have you already forgotten our two recent EVOs?”

“I know that!”

“It’s ok May-san.” Mia, who really didn’t want to undergo May’s training regime, replies sympathetically. “You and Your Pokemon are plenty strong already and Alia is the Ultimate Program. Right now we should rest and work off our injuries. Alia you and Ciel must have got pretty banged up too…”

“It’s fine…” Ciel kindly turns down the offer of an Mia patented repair and upgrade. “Aside from My creator, Brendan’s the only one who knows how to spruce me up the way I like. Besides I think I’m fine functioning the way I was built to work…I like things to be simple. Sorry if I sound rude but that’s just how I feel.”

The 10-year-old gives an understanding smile.

“That still doesn’t explain how training here and now wouldn‘t be in best interests.” Alia scoffs.

“Can you ever think of something aside from your needs?” Ciel comments.

“I’m only following my program: Collect data. Lots of it.” Alia matter-of-factly states.

“Exactly,” May confirms. The chestnut-haired 13-year-old pulls herself from Brendan’s protective hold only to lose her balance, slap away Brendan’s hand when he attempts to reach out to her and fall onto her rear.

“Brendan… Unless you’re going to help me with my training please step aside!”

“Training?” The boy mummers before getting annoyed with the girl’s attitude. “You’re in the worst shape how can you think of such things!”

May only smiles slightly to her friend’s words before asking Mia for her phanny pack, the 10-year-old complies without any argument. The chestnut-haired girl now spent the rest of her time ruffling within its deep contents.

Brendan looks away from the girl with mixture of frustration and indecisiveness. Taking a deep breath the snow colored haired boy dejectedly mutters: “…what do you me to do…”

May hands him an inflatable item and a pump. Rather than question why the girl would have such items, the snow-colored hair boy takes some time to inflate the item revealing a mini swimming pool.

“Brendan, can you loan me some water?” May curtly asked her silent friend.

Brendan called out Ragnarok the Marshtomp and asked him to fill the pool to the brim with Water Gun.

With that done, May now throws the Great Ball Mrs. Stone left her as a gift. What came out of it was a rather droopy looking fish Pokemon called Feebas.

Like Jenrya before her, Mrs. Stone already went ahead and named the fish Pokemon FiFi.

The fresh water fish Pokemon gave an unimpressed look at her surroundings.

With that finally done, the chestnut-haired girl calls out Tsunami the Combusken, Whirlpool the Zigzagoon, Lightning the Manectric and the little Aron whom May decided to name Waves.

Aside from FiFi, May’s Pokemon allies were in rather rocky condition but rather than topple over, they all looked at their trainer with expressions of deep shame and guilt…

May returns the look as she extends her right hand to place it on Tsunami’s bandaged feathered face.

“I… I want to stand on equal ground with her!” May voiced. “I want to truly know you’ll be able to face a foe without laying on the floor only able to grit your teeth with the humiliation of dying like trash! Never again do I want to see that of any you… That‘s why…”

May lowers her head from her Pokemon allies, yet she keeps a trembling grip on Tsunami.

Flashes of the horrors they faced within New Mauville and in the Mt. Chimney path still remained fresh in the minds of the fowl Pokemon and her allies…

They were outclassed in every possible way. They failed to protect May and themselves… Had not been for the actions made by the Hoenn Champion in both situations, they really would’ve lived up to what May described…

Tsunami pats May’s cheek with her left. Waves moves closer towards, in his eyes, the weeping princess and her morose royal pet and rubs Tsunami’s leg.

Lightning and Whirlpool look to May awaiting anything she asks of them. The word “Power” the vow “to never fall again!” never seemed to hold such significant desire until now…

Mia remembered the savage beating Hiro received at the hands of Gatsura’s Exploud. The 10-year-old’s eyes welled with tears at the very facet of truth in her best friend‘s words.

Ragnarok rubs his eyes slightly which caught his trainer’s attention. Brendan pulls out and shuffles through his first aid kid to quell the mudfish’s pain with what little was left of the eye drops Mia gave to him earlier.

With that matter done, the boy turns his attention back the chestnut-haired girl.

“Do you want to stand?” Brendan softly asks May who accepts his offer.

“We should start…” Alia starts.

May nods. “Tsunami! Keep kicking that boulder with your left until I say otherwise! Hold nothing back!”

Tsunami nods and runs over to the boulder that crushed the Poke Shop and begins to kick at it rapidly.

“Whirlpool! Dig through that mudslide!”

Whirlpool complies with a playful expression and runs over to the mudslide that three men were working on. The petite raccoon Pokemon splits into ten more copies of himself with Double Team.
Five of the raccoons pummel any and all boulders in the slide with Rock Smash while the other five dig through the dirt frantically picking up any items they see as interesting.

“Lightning! Time test that TM Mia’s brother gave us! Thunderbolt at max!”

Lightning gives a toothed smirk before swiftly running to the top of a debris pile, howling loudly and tearing the whole pile down with Thunderbolt. She then leaps to the next pile and does the same.

“FiFi! Keep swimming about in a clockwise manner and keep doing it until I say you stop!”

FiFi the Feebas rolls her eyes but does what she was commanded to do anyway.

May slowly begins to remove herself from Brendan’s grip to slowly but surely, gain mobility on her own, even if it was limping.

“Waves come with me.”

From the little Aron’s perspective, his beautiful princess had used some kind of magic to change from her lovely outfit into a more sports coach feel.

Despite that, the loyal little Pokemon follows his Princess’ orders until they stop at a smaller boulder only a few feet away from Tsunami.

“Ok Waves, what you have to do is simple.” May began quickly. “Just keep colliding into the rock without any fear.”

May demonstrates by taking off her slightly torn white and black gloves, then punching the rock with her left as hard as she can.

Since her hand was still in the state of recovery, May winced in horrible pain as her knuckles began to bleed. This made the little Pokemon afraid.

“May-san!” Mia squeaks as if she’d been hurt and not her friend. Brendan, though not uttering a word, was frantically shuffles through his first-aid to see if he has anything left to help the reckless girl.

“It’s ok,” May smiles to her quivering Steel/Rock type as she licked her bleeding hand. “It hurts a lot but how else can you get strong if you don’t endure the pain? Now,” The 13-year-old continues. “I’ll help you until you’re confident enough to keep attacking on your own.”

The Level 5 Pokemon watches the chestnut-haired girl work and wince until he pulled back to build the momentum needed to bash against the rock with his steel hide.

The little Pokemon continued to do this, earning him a smile from May and her friends and respect from his Pokemon allies.

Due to the commotion May and her Pokemon made a growing crowd began to form at the speculation of this one lady, five Pokemon show.

Brendan, Mia and Ragnarok noticed this growing crowd and quickly sweatdropped through crooked smiles.

It wasn’t long until the girl’s bizarre training regime attracted the attention of all the people in town.

------------
(Other side of town)

Flannery busily shoveled some debris along with the help of some construction workers.

“Hey there’s some kind of Pokemon show going on!” One man yells. “There’s no charge given!”

“That’s nice… Times feel so depressing perhaps a laugh will help.” A random woman responds.

“But Momma! I wanna see the furries some more! I wanna!” A little girl about the age of six whines to her mom who only answers: “We shouldn’t be so overjoyed in times like this. People like Flannery are a rarity in the world but we must work hard too.”

“Hey, Hey did you see didja?” A hyper little boy runs into the area pointing to the direction of the source. “I wanna be strong like that girl and have strong Pokemon like hers!”

All this fuss and sudden talk of strong trainers really piqued Flannery‘s interest. But she wasn’t a child anymore…

Giving a little “humph” as well as mumbling something under her breath, Flannery continued to work.

“You mean you aren’t interested? That doesn’t at all sound like the impulsive brat I knew back when I wasn‘t balding.” Smirked one of the middle aged workers.

Flannery puffs her cheeks and continues to dig, trying to recover from her act of immaturity.

“Empress acts like an impulsive brat at times because she still is one.” Yuriko teases the hard working teen from behind.

“YURIKOOOO!!!” The 17-year-old screams at the 28-year-old.

“Relax, attempting to throw a tantrum is a sign of immaturity.” The bleach blonde-haired woman then puts index finger on Flannery’s forehead teasingly. “But lovely Empress Flannery is no run of the mill brat.”

Flannery hides an annoyed blush. Before she could get back to work, Yuriko stealthily grabs the 17-year-old’s wrist and drags her to the source of everyone’s amusement. Much to her protests, of course.

When finally reaching the area the two notices the array of awe, clapping and rooting. Yuriko and Flannery make their way through the crowd to see the spectacle.

As soon as the Lavaridge Gym Leader got a glimpse of what was going on, she immediately sweatdropped.

Isaac Gravity April 15th, 2005 8:10 PM

Cont 2
-------
May was rapidly shoveling through the contents of the mudslide with her bare, bleeding hands. Whirlpool, being the most energetic of the team, dug alongside the 13-year-old, covered in dirt and bruises but he was just happy to help. (And help himself to any object of value that was caught in the debris.)

Tsunami, Lightning and Waves were just exhausted. FiFi the Feebas just gave up on her own accord not wanting to end up like the others.

“Hah! Is that all you guys have? I still have energy to burn!” May lies, her arms shaking from the numbness her actions brought. “You guys are suppose to be more superior to humans yet your letting me outdo you? You guys must not want to change at all…”

Aside from Waves, who just felt bad about letting his Princess down, the others were just **** pissed.

Mia just watched her friend rile her own Pokemon with much success. They were getting up and back at it even if they wanted to collapse then and there.

They were all just so… stubborn! This was what made the indigo-eyed 10-year-old muffle a little giggle.

She stopped giggling when Brendan handed her a shovel before walking over to the pile to help May dig. (Much to May’s relief.) Ragnarok quickly followed suite pushing around a wheel barrel with him.

‘I should surpass my limits too.’ The 10-year-old thinks as she joins her friends help dig through the pile.

Watching this kindled a fire within the Lavaridge residents. These kids were just stuck in their fair town, why the hell were they doing the manual labor of citizens?

Should they feel impressed by their diligence or insulted that out-of-towners are besting them, none-the-less little kids who should be in school and not traveling around by themselves.

Most likely a bit of both…

“YEAAHHH!” One man yells at the top of his lungs flexing his muscles. “I’m not gonna let myself be bested by some little kids and their baby Pokemon!” The man now throws out a Great Ball containing his Machamp. “Show them how real rock breaking goes!”

Another guy agrees. He gets a little too excited and rips his shirt. “LET’S DO THINGS HOW OUR ANCESTORS IN THE STONE AGE HAD TO!!!”

The man then attempts life a rock twice his size and ends up putting out his back at the fragile age of thirty-five.

More and more residents began to join in on this invigorating workmanship. Thus, bringing more injuries.

Yuriko watched all of this with an exasperated expression.

“Do people think anymore?” she comments to Flannery. “At this rate Lavaridge’s hospitals will be even more packed than before. Idiots-What’s so funny?” The bleach blonde irately asked the chuckling 17-year-old.

“n-Nah, I think this is good. Everyone just feels that they lost a lot due to what happened and want to keep some kind of hope burning inside of them.” Flannery turns to the older woman and grins. “After seeing this, I want to work harder too…”

------------
(Two Days later)
(Ever Grande City. Pokemon League HQ)

Today was a dark day for the Hoenn region. Having barely avoided being wiped out by the “World Saving” Teams Aqua and Team Magma the lovely green land known as Hoenn found itself in shambles from all the massive earthquakes that destroyed many homes, many people in the hospital from the inhalation of the tainted snow known as ash and a mighty high death toll for both human and Pokemon.

It’s only natural that the Hoenn Government get involved in the infiltration and destruction of the two teams once and for all. But since Team Aqua and Team Magma all contain members who are rouge Pokemon trainers this is why the Hoenn League: A special, if not secondary government specifically meant for the purpose of order and balance for all Pokemon trainers must also work diligently in this quest to stop this corruption of the trainer name.

Within the Arena-like board room The Hoenn League Officials: The nine Main powers of the Hoenn League. They sat in the emperors throne sector of the stadium. All of them held grim and serious look on their face.

Within the audience seats the eight Hoenn Gym Leaders: The sector bosses and holders of Gym Badges.

They all sat wherever they pleased in the bleachers. But for communications reasons they chose to sit in a group. Sitting a few rows below the Gym Leaders in the more plush seats sat the Elite Four: The claimed most powerful trainers in the region whose sworn duty is to protect the Pokemon HQ and test would-be Pokemon Masters to see if they are truly worthy in four succession matches.

“Tsk. Where is Flannery?” The lavender-haired Fortree City and very influential 21-year-old Gym Leader Winona griped in an exasperated manner. “That girl is always goofing off! Didn’t she get any of my calls? She needs to act more maturely!”

“You should relax mademoiselle. I’m sure the pyro new girl will arrive fashionably late as always.” The flamboyant Sootopolis Gym Leader Wallace attempts to calm his fellow Gym Leader. “Norman doesn’t seem to be here either.”

The Dewford Island Gym Leader Brawly couldn’t help but give the worryful Winona a “cheer-up bud” pat on the back. Brawly style. (Which made Winona cough afterwards.)

“C’mon Winona, you’re way too serious. If the new girl wants to nap under a tree then let her goof off.”

Roxanne, who read her book at the time, murmured something like: “Stop assuming everyone thinks as irresponsibly as you.” Of course, our favorite surfer dude Gym Leader pretended to not hear the Rustboro Gym Leader (despite being right next to her.) and continued his words. “I can’t say I blame the newbie. Man, conventions are so lame. I wanna take a nap right now myself…”

Brawly then yawns and stretches, not caring that it was annoying the hell out Roxanne.

“Poor Roxanne,” Mossdeep City’s Gym Leader Tate stated. His twin sister and fellow Gym Leader Liza picks up where he left off. “Her beauty and intelligence…”

“…Has lulled the big dumb smelly beast to her proximity.” Both twins finish their words giving each other content looks.

Roxanne sunk herself deeper into her book obviously trying to hide her flushed face. Brawly on the other hand didn’t take too kindly to the diss set upon him and his longtime acquaintance by the youngest Hoenn Gym leaders.

“Wha- Dumb?! SMELLY?!? You freakish little gnomes! You dare mock the sexiness that is Brawly?” The self-proclaimed Beautiful Beast roared before looking a bit more relaxed. “From now on, you midgets must refer to me as Brawly: The sexy Blue Beast!” Brawly then flashed his patented smile that glinted in an even shiner fashion than usual.

The beachcombing Gym Leader’s actions caused the other Gym Leaders, minus Wallace and the very silent Roxanne to cough rudely.

Not able to take anymore, Wallace stood up and made a pose. “If Brawly is now known as the Sexy Blue Beast then it’s only fair that I’m now dubbed the gorgeous Blue phenomena of the sea!” The Sootopolis Gym Leader then puts his index finger by his mouth and began to laugh in a rather feministic manner.

Both Liza and Tate roll their eyes before making a comeback. “We don’t dub monkeys…” Liza began playfully. “We train them to do tricks.” Tate rudely finished in a harsher tone.

This forced huge red X-shaped veins to appear on the both Brawly and Wallace’s heads as their eyes go pupiless in a humorous manner.

A two on two verbal battle begins between the four.

“Hmm. With this a much ruckus, it’s quite hard to tell whose the REAL child here!” Veteran Gym Leader Wattson laughs.

“Hey Gym Leaders…” Elite Four member of the flaring Ice Glacia called out to them with a condescending look on her face. “Why don’t you stop making a further joke of yourselves and shut-up.” The woman finishes her insult with a sneer. “Isn’t it bad enough bad enough you’re all so horribly weak…”

The 30-year-old woman’s cruel words were only answered with harsh looks and gritted teeth.

I’d only be BSing you if I said the relationship between the Gym Leaders and Elite Four in any region was good.

Hell, in all truth they hate eachothers guts. For various reasons too, whether it be envy or plain disdain for the other’s philosophy or way of doing things.

‘You still don’t understand what I warned you so long ago Glacia…’ Wattson thinks to himself, just as angry as his fellow Gym Leaders. ‘Tomorrow’s another day and that breathes new talent… You’ll defiantly learn that the hard way sooner or later…’

Halting the mounting tension in the air. The room suddenly dimmed and five spinning spot lights began to sever around the room until it finally landed upon the emperors throne sector of the stadium.

“Geez, those guys always gotta make a show.” The fun loving thrill seeker Sidney of the Elite Four chuckled.

The League Official in the middle of the desk shuffled through his handful of paper work, rubbing his temples before he began the meeting.

“The Hoenn Government is breathing down my neck like a Golbat that just bit you and won’t let go until your sucked dry…Damage all around…The Hoenn League’s credibility: Ruined… Mt. Chimney, Hoenn’s best tourist spot is now dubbed unstable costing this region millions in TOURIST FUNDS!!! CAN SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?!

The Head Official slams his paper work against his desk. Surprising everyone.

Winona knew she was asking for trouble but something had to be said…No point in everyone be turned into a scapegoat.

“s-Sir!” The 21-year-old stands up very nervous.

“What Winona? Please tell me you have a solution to this crisis.” The Head mummers exasperated at the situation. Winona bit the bottom of her lip and shook her head.

“Then what?” A female official in the eight-place seat spat out coldly. “Out with it!”

“Well, the true problem of the matter is Team Magma and Team Aqua…”

“And?” A male official in the fifth place seat muttered.

“Well after this both side are obviously heavily crippled now and are in hiding…”

“Hey yeah,” Brawly catches on. “We just have to flush Magma out now.”

“Correction!” Elite Four’s Ghost using Phoebe interrupts. “We have to berid this region of both cults! What they did to Mt. Chimney was beyond the limits of all their antics. They ruined many businesses and lives! I still haven’t got a call from my Grandmother since the incident!”

The 19-year-old girl in Hawaiian attire was in the state of near tears.

Glacia only smirked and murmured “still a pampered brat.” Phoebe ignores this and continues her plea. “Please! This insanity between these two groups has to end! This wasn’t another one of either Teams silly little heists! This relates back to the days of their open street fights! Does someone have to be killed again before something is actually enforced this time? Well the numbers have raised and it’s not just the cults but also almost every living thing in Hoenn! I‘ll do whatever it takes to help!-”

“Phoebe. Enough.” The strongest and oldest member of the Elite Four Drake spoke.

“But…”

An Official who sat in the fourth place seat crouched in a brooding position. “Blah, Trying to track down either Team is a huge waste of time and money which we’re very low on right now! Oh, did I say it’s a waste of time?”

The second ranked official took over. “Now, if we don’t have any REAL matters to discuss let’s move on to the main part of our gathering.”

Though everyone in the room was a bit confused by what their higher ups meant they had no choice but to see what these fools were going to do.

The once dark Colosseum room filled with light shining down on the only Gym Leader who wasn’t in the stands with his fellows.

“Norman…You do know why you’re here don’t you?”

Norman Hiromi gives a steely look as he looks over to the emperors throne sector of the stadium. Only throwing them a harsh look.

End Side Story 2
--------------------

Update: 10/4/05 - One of my heaviest chaps to repair… Geez, the OOCness was so audible it makes me wonder how I could miss it all. But things are looking like the way it should be. (A lot of the mistakes been locked down too.) Calming chapter or not…

I’m finally back on track! Yeah, for those of you guys (you know who you are) who read and enjoy my story I’m sorry about the months of wait. Laziness, pickiness, my personal life and studies got the better of me. They still do really but I was able to scratch the time up to do what I had to do.

Again, my apologies if you were content with the original version of Trials of Reluctance. I felt I could’ve done a lot better if I didn’t rush and thought the story through better. And I’ll tell ya, It’s looking’ a lot more pleasing to me regardless of any flaws that still exist within it.

So thanks for bearing with me and let’s get back on the road! I can’t promise you anything for the remaining five chapters ahead but I’ll do my best. That’s all I can say…


(Notes)

1. If my descriptions didn‘t suck so much I could‘ve better explained that Flannery‘s home though might be noted as her Gym/home is pretty much a Inn for travelers as well.

Yet another filler I didn’t know where to put in the main story so I stuck it as it a teaser for the events coming next chapter and the bridge I needed to the form the final Story Arc. Quite long for filler though…Aw well. Things will make sense and be back on track next chapter.

For those who actually read the story…If you’re interested in another fun fact then here’s one: In reality there was suppose to be five extra stories added after Chapter 2 (Fire!) Each focusing on May’s time spent in LittleRoot and her growing relationships with the people around her. (They were nice stories, mostly on humor though.) But due to the fact I wanted to get straight into the actual storyline I skipped them and went straight to Of truth and decisions. To be honest, there were a lot of filler stories I had planned throughout the Reluctance story but I just not to do them. Like before I liked them but I like getting through things and not stretch them out pointlessly.

Next- (Final Story Arc: Overlap)
Chapter 21- To kill a fire chick

IceKing April 26th, 2005 10:52 AM

Sorry for not reviewing in so long, you're style doesnt appeal to me that much so I can't read it easily.

Heres a review for chapter 1-4

Likes
Interesting personalities for the charachters (especially May)
Good emotion portrayal
Nice Plot (for now)
Interesting style (I know I contradict myself since I said your style didn tappeal to me, but that doesnt mean its not interesting)
Like the way you describe the battles (in the non gameboy way)

Dislikes
I dont like the use of present tense, but thats really your choice
A bit too many flashbacks (can make the story kind of confusing)
Some charachters are a little unrealistic (referring to Mrs.Birch)
Not a big fan of the health points system


Ill review the rest of the chapters sometime soon

Isaac Gravity April 27th, 2005 9:40 AM

Well, I guess your dislikes can't be helped too much... aw well...

Personally, I like the HP and Level system since it gives it a RPG feel and also (due to my own inablity) helps me create limits and breaks within battles and Pokemon strength and what not.

I dunno about your comment about Mrs. Birch as I've met/know real people like her (an example being my sister) but not to the extremity I created her to at so I guess I could vouche with you somewhat.

Isaac Gravity April 28th, 2005 10:24 PM

Disclaimer- I don’t own Pokemon or anything else
-------------

The once dark colosseum room filled with light shining down on the only Gym Leader who wasn’t in the stands with his fellows. Norman Hiromi gives a steely look as he looks over to the emperors throne sector of the stadium.

The fact that Norman was put on the spot in such a manner, not to mention being handcuffed and accompanied by a heavily armed guard pushed speculation among many people inside the room.

“Whoa, Whoa. Mr. Chalmers what seems to be the meaning of this?” The Head Official asked the second seat of the Hoenn Pokemon League.

“What else? It’s an interrogation.” The third-ranked official states matter-of-factly.

The second-ranked official ignores what goes on around him and begins his questioning.

“Norman…” The second-ranked Pokemon League official murmured in a mock-disappointed tone. “Do you know why we hired you and none-the-less paid your finances for the tiresome trip from Johto all the way to the once lovely Hoenn?”

The spotlight shone down brightly on the Petalburg Gym Leader. Norman could only turn his head slightly while closing his right eye to shield himself from the lights fierce glare.

“I was hired by Mr. O’Neal for my head-on and forceful battle talent. And…If I remember correctly Mr. Chalmers…” Norman tested the waters. “You were strongly against a non-Hoenn born resident taking a position of Gym Leader, none the less compete in the Ever Grande City regional Tournament.”

Hearing this the other board member’s as well as the Elite Four and Norman’s fellow Gym Leader’s couldn’t help but crack a smirk.

This only angered the second-ranked League Official who at first, gritted his teeth and wanted to demand everyone to be silent and act their ages.

Instead of doing that though, the man only adjusted his tie and threw Norman a smirk.

“That might be so Norman,” Chalmers began his verbal vengeance. “But even after all this we still took you in with open arms… And how do you repay us?”

“By doing my job and making Pokemon trainers sweat.”

“Let me inform you Norman that our honesty policy is heads above all even talent.”

The second-ranked official’s words began to query confusion amongst the participants in the room. Norman’s record was completely clean.

On top of that since the man doesn’t seem to let on much about himself aside from his open passion for a Pokemon battle and vast respect for anyone who works hard and sees their Pokemon allies as equals and not as tools.

‘That’s a shocker…’ A female guard who was really Regional Interpol Agent Gabrielle Jenny in disguise thought to herself. ‘Sure, Norman came to Hoenn almost a year ago and has made quite a reputation for himself but there’s nothing too suspicious about him… What would a man like him possibly hide?’

The turquoise-haired agent was thrust out of her thoughts when noticed the third-ranked official glare at her from the corner of her eyes before looking away with a little smirk and muttering something about everything being a game of cat and mouse.

‘Blast! Did she figure me out already?!’ The turquoise-haired agent mentally panicked.

“Don’t worry to much about Ms. Tolbot.” A guard to left of Gabrielle Jenny mutters. “She likes to unnerve all the newcomers and veterans. She says it helps determines if we’re still on par to work.”

“r-Right! Sure…” The turquoise agent laughs nervously.

The woman then cautiously turns her attention back to the impending situation at hand.

----------------
(Final Story Arc: Overlap)
Chapter 21- To kill a fire chick
-------------

(Lavaridge Town)

Despite two days have passed in the quiet mountainous town of Lavaridge the construction process has been going along at a surprisingly quick rate.

Filled with a new found passion burning within them; the Lavaridge citizens toiled effortlessly in restoring beauty to their home. Putting blood, sweat and tears in to every little task these people are a true example of unity.

However; The citizens of this lovely town are a little too overzealous about reconstruction…They’re taking incredibly needless, not to mention clumsy leaps to speed their work only resulting with a lot of stupid mistakes and a hefty injury count…

-----------------
(Lavaridge Graveyard)

“Mura the burning passion.”

“Friend, family man and this communities biggest supporter. You will always be remembered in our hearts and marked in the annals of this town’s memory as Lavaridge’s greatest Hero. Rest in Peace beloved hero.”

These were the words carved into the gravestone of Flannery’s Grandfather.

Flannery tends to visit this grave sight on a daily basis just for the reasons of nostalgia. Even though there was nothing but gravestone to look at, the 17-year-old belived that her Grandfather’s spirit was affixed to this spot since he could never up and leave the place he devoted his entire life to…

Well, that’s at least what Flannery herself believed…

“Do really you think blubbering like a useless child will bring him back to this cruel world?” A rather deep mencing voice filled with nothing but masculinity growls at Flannery from behind.

The 17-year-old turns around hastily to see a large muscular man adorned in white spandex and had his massive red hair in a style that could rival Son Goku’s Super Saya-Jin 3 form hairstyle.

The man held nothing more than an atmosphere of intimidation around him; however, this meant little to Flannery, especially when she realized the identity of the man.

“You got a lot of nerve to show your face around here Dakim…” Flannery growls. “You sully the name of Grandpa’s school by using our martial arts techniques to play bodyguard for drug lords!”

“Pah, I disregarded Mura‘s teachings long ago...” Dakim scoffs.

This pretty much irked a nerve within Flannery. The 17-year-old gives the man a very dark look.

“Don’t you mean Mura-sensei?”

“Master, sensei, It‘s all meaningless.” Dakim replies. “The power you see before you is a mastery that I, the great Dakim has created through my own labors and will to be unbeatable… Of course a bit of my weaker techniques are derived from Mura’s basic skills but that’s what I get for ever even looking up to a half-hearted weakling.”

“The hell did you say!?” Flannery yells, fighting every urge to deck the man right there.

“You heard me brat!” Dakim growls. “Mura was a pitiful excuse for a man who could no longer live up to the requirements of being strong and thus, in his own cowardice to hide from humiliation, committed suicide in the main hall of his own dojo!”

Flannery stood shocked at what the Cipher Admin had just blurted out.

Dakim glares at the 17-year-old Lavaridge Gym Leader with disgust making a face that seemed as if he wanted to spit in her face just for reasons of disrespecting a deceased man.

Dakim refrained himself from doing this though, he didn’t want to waste further time dealing with a brat nor did he have intentions of harming her. She wasn’t in Cipher’s way and proved to pretty much a threat only destined to destroy herself.

Who was he to put her out of her own misery? Even if he enjoyed the thought of ridding every fabric of his disdain…

“With a mindset like yours I‘m surprised you lasted this long in this world... Must be good to be a pampered brat.” Dakim continues. “After all, it was people like you that was the final push for that cowardly swine.”

Flannery was still pretty much disgusting every word that this DBZ dead-ringer kept babbling on about. The teen was unconsciously balling and unballing her fists until something inside of her finally snapped.

“y-You’re LYING!” The Lavaridge Gym Leader shouts. “Grandpa was a proud and wonderful man! He had no reason nor would ever throw his life away for anything unless it was noble! Typhlosion’s Pokeball is nowhere to be found! Grandpa is out there somewhere training hard… He‘s… he… HE FAKED HIS OWN DEATH AND NOTHING MORE!!!”

“Faked his own death? Then why waste his time making a life-like copy of himself just to be hung at such a height? You’re as blind as Mura is; I‘ll expect to see your grave next to his a few months from now…”

“Sounds good…” Flannery grins. “Be good to be buried near family. Not too much I can say for you… You’ll probably die one day to some lesser bodyguard who holds a gun… Gasp! Where would the power-hungry trash be buried his former boss thinks? Hell, just lug his heavy rear into the nearest sea. A Gyarados should finish your remains! Go to hell!”

Dakim defiantly wanted to maim the teen now… But he managed to somehow extend his fuse and simply walk away from her, not uttering another word.

Flannery doesn’t even waste her time watching the Cipher Admin leave the cemetery; she turns back her entire attention to her Grandfather’s grave.

--------------
(Outside the Cemetery)

That wretched little brat!” Dakim roars.

The Cipher Admin quickly grabs a nearby garbage can and throws as far as he can.

“Relax, she’s only one deluded little child.” Cipher Admin Chief Ein replies to his fellow Admin through a comm. device at the Cipher labs. “If anything I should be congratulating you for keeping your cool.”

“Pah, I wouldn’t have to be dealing with this nonsense period if it wasn’t for this ridiculous mission Nascour set upon us! That cursed figurehead!”

“I suggest you watch how you talk about your betters.” Ein reasons coolly. “Cipher’s funds have been pretty bad lately and we need some kind of financial boost to further expand Cipher’s power and complete our research on Project SHADOW.”

Dakim frowns. “True, but what good will a blasted toy do? We wasted tons of our remaining funds on that brat and her stupid video machine!”

“Again, a matter of circumstance in order to gain more.” Ein verbally counters. “Pokemon Island Online will be the perfect financial staple for Cipher. After the groups known as Aqua and Magma crippled the region with there feeble little war the economic state for many areas not to mention the mental security all the people felt here is now shattered. All thanks to the incompetence of Hoenn’s superiors.”

“Hmph. So were going to promote and use this game as some allusion to help people escape the turmoil that is life? Weaklings…”

“Something like that.” Ein grins.

“Feh, this all a waste of time!” Dakim snaps. “That little brat is so demanding! If its not money she’s asking for robotic parts and alloys! Also,” The fuming man adds. “I can’t believe you actually gave her access to our old experiment files! Someone brings us a little money and they get VIP access to all Cipher hides?”

“Mass distribution, game patches and upgrades to the game take a lot of effort and money that’s understandable.” Ein reasons. “Second, the machine parts are no problem since we just tear down any old inventions we no longer use that almost match her part descriptions and ship it to her.”

Ein takes a moment to sip his coffee before putting his final words. “Finally, you fail to realize the influence online games have over the community nowadays. In less than four months Pokemon Island Online has raked in more money than any other get rich quick scheme we hatched and it’s also earning C. Corp a good reputation amongst gamers and Pokemon fanatics alike.”

“Nascour must be allowing this.” Dakim grumbles defeated. “In any case Ein, how is Project SHADOW progressing?”

“As I said we need more money for further development.”

“Then do I story to tell you.”

“Humor me.”

-----------------
(Mt. Chimney path)

Road of ruins. That’s the best way to describe the remains of the beloved spot of all mountain climbers.

The entire area was plagued with debris-jagged holes and some remains of felled Pokemon, be it rock snake or poison bat. What would make one want to return to such a disheartening hell?

Reminiscing on the pride of survival? Or perhaps unfinished business…

“May-san…” 10-year-old Mia Stone muttered full of guilt. “I’m sorry about this…”

13-year-old May Hiromi gave a slightly annoyed sigh as a small playful grin curled up her lips.

“Oh no problem at all.” The chestnut-haired girl dryly counters. “If you really concerned over my safety then you’d never do something as stupid like attempting to follow me when I climbed over the landslide that’s cutting off Lavaridge from the rest of society just to injure yourself forcing me to take some cuts and bruises to simply chase after your clumsy self.”

“I’m quite selfish sometimes. I’m sorry.”

“I thought you were a big strong girl now? Stop apologizing like you’re some kind of pitiful servant.” May snaps. “Did it ever occur to you that after all those months I spent laying around that playing piggyback with you through such rugged terrain is the best way for me to keep in shape and develop my weakened muscles?”

Even though the Indigo-eyed 10-year-old knew the chestnut-haired 13-year-old was just trying to make her feel more at ease with the situation; Mia couldn’t help but chuckle lightly and hang on a bit more tightly to her idol.

Tagging along with the two girls was May’s Pokemon allies: Tsunami the Combusken and Lightning the Manectric. Both of whom were outside of their Pokeballs to treat the rock climbing session as leg muscle training.

While Lightning didn’t too much mind her trainer’s training plan on the grounds that she felt out of shape, Tsunami was ecstatic about the whole process. Ever since she evolved she has become quite found of her rather powerful legs and would deliberately kick the air continuously or jog in place just to show ‘em off.

“Mia,” May calmly addressed the now content 10-year-old. “How are you?”

“I’m more concerned about your condition May-san.”

“No, I mean how are YOU Mia?” May corrects.

Mia had an idea of what the 13-year-old meant and frowned slightly.

“What troubles me is something that I must learn to deal with on my own…”

“So you say…”

::RUUMMBLE::

The untimed movement of the small tremor forced the fatigued 13-year-old off her feet and onto the ground face first.

“May-san! Are you ok?” Mia desperately asked her friend.

A small annoyed groan was May’s first response.

CRRREEEHIIIIISSSSSS

::RUUMMMMMMMMBLE::

“Curse it all! Mia! Crawl the hell as far away as you can from here!” Was her second.

Even if Mia wanted to up and run away, the Steelix that had once played savior just a few weeks ago burst forth from the ground in the most menacing of fashions.

Still bearing signs of softened metal around her mouth and body, the battered Iron Snake Pokemon glared coldly at the human who dared tried to treat her like a slave doll.

--------------
(At that moment)
(Lavaridge Town. The Herb Shop)

“Well, if it isn’t my favorite white-haired Pokemon trainer!” Flannery teased 13-year-old Brendan Birch who slightly adjusted his glasses. “Your eyes still bugging you?” The 17-year-old continued.

“It’s getting better…” Brendan assures.

“This must be tough on you guys right?” Flannery questioned rather bluntly. “It’s getting really hard for all of us really… Lavaridge is almost looking like its old beautiful self but the only problem is that landslide that’s cutting us off from Route 112. It‘s way to risky to just use explosives, yet at the same time its too dangerous and unstable to attempt any hand construction…”

Flannery takes it upon herself to point at the very limited apparel the store had to offer and then grabs Brendan by his arm to show him the some of the town and its residents. “As you can see supplies are running dangerously for us and we practically nothing left to ration. The visitors who got stuck here are becoming quite unreasonable too… It’s becoming harder and harder to keep up the enthusiasm… so… So just don‘t act like those stupid tourists and think you’re the only one who has it hard!”

Brendan tensed up slightly. Though he wanted to advise the 17-year-old to scold the tourists and not him he figured that her taking out her frustration out on him had a lot to do with her shattered pride…

And being one of those who was unconsciously responsible for its destruction he knew better than to say something that would sprout a fight.

Despite his plans, Brendan couldn’t help but wince in pain as Flannery tightens her grip on his arm and drags him further into town. Taking from her grip it’d be best not to say a word and just hope for the best.

----------------
(Meanwhile)
(Where May and Mia are)

“Tsunami! Flare Peck!

The fowl Pokemon quickly complies with May’s command by picking up velocity while running by all the rubble that Steelix threw in her path.

The flames around Tsunami’s red and yellow body increased dramatically as her velocity surpassed the usual required speed for her Custom Tactic. This action caused the flame to compress into a dark red flame that circled around her body that quickly ignited into larger flames that practically engulfed Tsunami’s body when she prematurely leapt at the Steelix.

Rather than look a small flaming meteor when using the attack when she was a Torchic, The Flare Peck looked more like pinpoint needle that brimmed with stinging flames.

The speed of the attack quickly smacked the Iron Snake in the face, forcing it to pull back some to shake off the aftershock of the attack. Tsunami on the other hand, was ricochet to the ground once the impact was made.

The Steelix irately attempted to crush the fowl Pokemon with her bulk but was only successful in further damaging the terrain when Lightning quickly ran by and dragged her ally to safety.

Steelix picks herself up and fires Dragonbreath at the retreating duo. Lightning manages to get Tsunami on her back and begins to leap from rock to rock on the damaged Mt. Chimney mountain climbers’ path.

Tsunami attempts to hit her crazed foe with Ember but Steelix uses the propellers located on the mid-section of her chain-like body to conjure a sandstorm that acted as a shield from the fire bullets. The Iron Snake continued this defensive ploy while going on the offensive with Dragonbreath.

“That Steelix has a pretty good balance formation going for her. But it has its heavy limitations.” May’s A.I. Travel companion Alia inquires after her careful data collection of the battle.

May and Mia both took note that ever since Steelix conjured the sandstorm shield she’s been belted to the same spot since. And with her use of Dragonbreath she wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon…

LIGHTNING! JUMP INTO THE CYCLONE AND USE SECRET POWER!!!” May shouts at her Pokemon.

Isaac Gravity April 28th, 2005 10:37 PM

Cont
-----------------------

The moment Steelix heard the chestnut-haired girl’s voice she wanted to break from her strategy and crush the human alive but her little barrier had to be completely out of the way first.

The Iron Snake started to feel the bitter strains from her excruciating battle with the two-in-one monstrosity Soltone return to her with vengeance. But she couldn’t let up now!

Without warning a gush of power emerged from the Iron Snake’s disturbed emotions through the form of a feint blackish/purple aura. The added power boost gave her the adrenaline needed to heighten her Sandstorm barrier and launch a pretty strong Dragonbreath… if she hadn’t already lost her senses and made a foolhardy rush at the mountain path and began to ravage at it as if it there was an actual meaning behind it all.

Lightning was caught off guard by the Iron Snake’s advance but was nowhere near the point of impact. Instead, she was able to gain some momentum off the move to plummet downwards towards her foe’s head.

Since the effects of Secret Power were totally random, Lightning could only charge up the ions in her body and let instincts take over from there…

Tsunami flinched slightly from the growing amount of spark pulsating from Lightning’s body. Despite it all, the fowl Pokemon kept her grip around her ally and managed to wriggle herself just enough to bombard the crazed Iron Snake with Ember.

The Steelix quickly let out an enraged cry when hit with the attack but was silenced the moment Lightning had crashed down on her head with a move that could compare to Body Slam.

The attack itself didn’t faze the Iron Snake; it was the sudden feeling of everything she was made of going numb forcing her large bulk to fall to the ground in such a stone dead manner that was the problem.

Lightning and Tsunami both tumbled to the ground a few feet away from there beaten opponent, neither one in any condition to fight on… The same could be said for Steelix but that pretty much didn’t stop her from trying to get up and finish her obstacles off once and for all.

But that little plan failed altogether.

She only grows more agitated when she sees May and Mia moving over to the area.

“We were only lucky that it didn’t regain half of its actual strength yet.” Alia sighs. “May, lets wrap this up and head back to LittleRoot ASAP!”

“Yeah, yeah…”

“Though I know it’s quite scary I can’t help but feel sorry for it…” Mia comments sympathetically.

“Pfft. Don’t be!” May scoffs. “It’s already a registered Pokemon if your going to say what I know you’re about to then forget it! Wouldn’t that count as abandonment?”

“Yeah…”

"In any case Mia," May addresses the girl with a neutral expression. "I owe ya one for that TM Lightning used to wrap this matter up..."

Seeing that she was actually proving to what she always wanting since she joined the 13-year-old, Mia's face couldn't help but light up with enthusiasm and pride.

Rather than listen to the rambling of the two human females and be returned back into her spherical confine that is the Ultra Ball; Steelix used those small moments to gather whatever was left of her strength to pick herself up.

To her, the surprised looks on their faces were priceless. Even if she wanted to follow-up their hesitant shock with an attack or simple escape tactic she used what was little left of her willpower to at most pick up her heavy body.

It’s quite a shame that the Iron snake was so prideful… It’s quite a shame the Iron Snake was so dead-set on showing its might over humans and domesticated Pokemon…

Had she not foolishly picked itself up with the small amount of energy she had left just to have nothing to follow it up a Sceptile who appeared from what it seems to be thin air wouldn’t have collided into it with Focus Punch.

The Steelix gave out a piercing cry of pain as the spot where the attack connected cracked and shattered slightly.

When the Iron snake was about to hit the ground for the count she found herself trapped inside a tossed Great Ball, which, like Sceptile before it appeared from nowhere.

Once the Great Ball hit the ground Sceptile quickly grabbed the item and leapt over the shocked group to deliver the stolen goods to his trainer.

“Awesome. Never even knew Steelix would be out in the open in Hoenn like this!” Sceptile’s trainer comments happily.

May, Mia, Tsunami and Lightning all turn angrily to face the little thief; only to learn he isn’t so little.

From the male’s so-called bishounen-like appearance, he ranged from the age group of sixteen-eighteen. Aside from his dark blue hair, which he styled into a ponytail. His glasses and his clothing style made him look appear to be that of a student who holds a lot of pride in his high school… But the school insignia seemed to be torn off…

The trainer takes note of the two younger girls and the two Pokemon when he sees Sceptile looking their way in a menacing fashion.

“Oh, didn’t realize you guys were still gaping away...” The teen starts. “You do realize that wild Pokemon are considered wild for a reason correct? Wild as in untamed, not domesticated-”

The teen cuts himself off when he sees the very serious look on the face of Mia and the furious looks on May, Tsunami and Lightning.

“No kidding you stupid jackass!” May shouts at the teen. “What the hell do you think you’re doing!?”

The teen adjusts his glasses with his middle finger while a smug look formed on face.

“Hmph, from the looks of it my Sceptile saved some rookies from becoming a pile mush from a Steelix who they had no chance of beating even with two Pokemon working together…” The teen replies. “Thus, my Pokemon did what two lessers couldn’t and I, Gentaro Masato has bagged himself an uncommon Pokemon!”

Tsunami and Lightning nearly went livid from this guy’s comment and Sceptile’s goading wasn’t quenching their growing fury either.

“So, you admit to spying on us?” Mia asked in a serious tone.

“As if I knew what you guys were possibly yammering about.” The teen, which called himself Gentaro Masato, shrugs.

“Quit playing dumb you lying bastard! You were hiding the whole time! That Steelix is a registered Pokemon! It belongs to me!” May furiously shouts at the teen.

“So it ran away then? Trust me, the Steelix is better off with me if that‘s the case.” Gentaro Masato reasons calmly. “You’re May Hiromi daughter to the popular Gym Leader Norman Hiromi correct?”

“Last names don’t mean anything…” May scoffs.

The teen ignores the 13-year-old’s attempted ignorance to the truth and begins his interrogation.

“I’ve been doing some research about your endeavors in this region so far and all I can say is this: You don’t and will never own what it takes to become a competent Pokemon trainer… Give up, go home and leave Pokemon training to those who take it seriously!”

“You have a lot of nerve to question May-san when you proven to be nothing more than a thief.” Mia growls.

The teen turns to the 10-year-old slightly disgusted. “And who are you? Her cheerleader? Why don’t you stop leeching off others and get talent of your own wannab-”

The teen cut himself off to yelp in pain when a sudden multitude of screeching sounds began to echo throughout the area.

The decibel of the combined sound waves made everyone feel as if their eardrums were going to pop; they could only writhe in pain while trying their best to cover their ears.

It was different for Gentaro Masato, despite his best attempts to shield his ears he found himself muttering: “Error! Appendages unstable! Left arm function ceased!” before giving out a loud cry of pain.

Alia also found herself talking in a critical machine language making warnings of an emergency shutdown error and a system override being imminent. These warnings persisted even after May, despite the risk of not saving her own hearing shoved the A.I. Travel companion under her body without even really thinking.

Lightning on the other hand could shake about yelp frantically. As a natural self-defense Lightning’s body began to spark with electricity which voltage rate continued to rise just to fully thwart what was offending her.

As Lightning’s voltage output increased the noise finally came to a close.

Was Lightning’s abilities the cause to the sound tormentors likely demise or was her body’s act of self-defense that attracted four Magneton; the source of the attack to come and circle around the wolf Pokemon moving closer to her every so often just to absorb some of the glorious sparks of Ions that would randomly pop from her body.

Needless to say this annoyed the drained Lightning but she was too exhausted to do anything.

When Sceptile attempted to pick itself up; a ball of blue electricity that brought it to its knees hit it from behind.

When Sceptile attempted to pick itself up it was brought it to its knees by a blue ball of electricity that soared down from behind.

No one had to time or actual bearings at the moment to fully contemplate the situation as another, slightly larger ball of electricity which bared the same color as the last landed in a position that could theorized by the overly suspicious that it was aimed for May yet missed its mark and made impact somewhere in between her, Mia, Gentaro and Sceptile.

-------------------
(Ever Grande City. Pokemon League HQ)

“So what exactly do you mean?” The undercover Gabrielle Jenny questioned the also undercover Agent Mireille Acoba through a comm. device hidden in her outfit.

----------------
(Sixth-ranked official’s office)

“Nothing…” The femme fatale dressed as a janitor answered. “It’s all gone… The league's financial files are completely clean… Not only that but any hardcover files are completely blank pieces of paper.”

-------------
(Where meeting is taking place)

“You’re kidding me?!” The turquoise agent raises her voice.

When she noticed a guard nearby her looking at her curiously she waved cheerfully at him. The man coughs out of embarrassment and goes back to looking stoic.

The undercover agent then takes more precaution about talking when she also noticed the third-ranked official turned her way once more.

“You are in Robert Telanski’s office right?”

“Of course!” The woman answers incredulously through her comm.

-----------------
(Where Mireille is)

“So what’s the problem? Is their firewall as good as it’s rumored to be?” Gabrielle Jenny questions through her comm.

“The password is so simple a child could break into it provided they can crack into this system’s mainframe.” Mireille Acoba answers coolly. “The problem is what I stated: Their financial files, balance books, archives dating to almost three decades are all cleared off…”

“What?” Gabrielle Jenny replies through her comm. “How… That can’t be… Nasstastja and I were given full access to their financial files the last time were there and they seemed pretty high up in debt with a lot of heavy rollers. In-fact Mr. Telanski seemed rather hesitant the moment we chose to take a look at the files in the second cabinet.”

“That was the easiest to obtain section in this whole room and the entire cabinet was empty… You think they were ready for us?”

“Possibly, there’s no way they could clear all those bills in such a short period of time without some heavy price sacrifice that would deter the trainer community greatly by now…”

The Regional Interpol Agent known as Mireille Acoba gives one last run through a few of the Pokemon League’s trusted treasurer’s portfolios, both digitized and hardcopy before taking a moment to consider the situation.

“Jenny, just what are they discussing in that meeting?” She asked the haired-haired agent.

“They seem to be putting Petalburg Gym Leader through some kind of court marshal…” Gabrielle Jenny answered through her comm.

When Mireille began to silently try to do the math her comm. link to her partner was completely cut off.

-----------------
(Where meeting is taking place)

“Hey? Acoba? Acoba?” The haired-haired agent questions her partner’s sudden silence.

A mission was a mission and she REALLY couldn’t afford to get her cover blown in the position she’s in; but a personal sense of justice will speak deeper than given duties from time to time…

GYYAAAAAAHHHH!!!” Came the pain shriek of Norman who was thrusted to his arms and knees by a strong jolt from a Guard who hit him with a taser from behind.

Not only could Mireille Acoba been uncovered but also an act of cruel and unusual punishment has been dealt right in front of her own eyes…She couldn’t afford to leave her post now… Not with this with this kind of odds… Not after a man who she feels is being played for a scapegoat in these tough times just got a taste of punishment without doing anything to deserve it…

Mireille Acoba… A woman she hardly knew… A woman she only knew for so long and has done nothing but been at odds with her… A woman who was assigned her partner in this mission for Hoenn’s honor and in her own carelessness got cut off from her…

…She would have to wait…

“Cough! Did I say something that you didn’t like Mr. Chalmers?” Norman innocently asked his superior.

“Playing dumb to the end aren’t you Norman?” Second-ranked official Chalmers growled.

“What the!” Brawly growled furiously.

“Is this the treatment one gets for stating their beliefs?” A furious Wallace bellows, utterly shocked and disgusted.

Wattson was just as betrayed by the Officials actions as the rest of his comrades but knew that aggression will only begot escalated aggression.

“Isn’t this a bit much?” The Mauville Gym Leader calmly reasons. “I may not have known him for too long myself…But, I can assure you that man is one of the good ones.”

The seventh-ranked Official couldn’t help but clap in a rather sardonic manner.

“I believe that all men are obligated to hold to their own secrets.” Wattson growls.

“Really?” The second-ranked official continued. “Even if it has a direct connection to Hoenn’s territory of shame?”

“Really? And what does Hoenn bear that could ever mark as shameful?” The calm voice of Steven Stone reasoned from down the halls.

The sound of his coming footsteps echoed throughout the room until the 19-year-old finally entered the stadium-like meeting room.

“Eh? The Regional Champ? When did you enter in here unannounced?” The seventh-ranked official mumbled. “Are we holding some kind of publicity stunt or something?”

“Stone who the hell do you think are? You were not summoned to be here!” The fourth-ranked official growled through enfolded hands.

Steven didn’t answer immediately; he decided to turn his attention to the injured Norman. When the guard tried to grab the Hoenn Champ by his shoulders he found himself staring at the lovely ceiling

STONE!” The fourth yells raged. “Know your place. We may have allowed YOU to become Champion despite your background. But don’t you once think that we’ll allow the purity of Hoenn to be sullied any further by freaks who obtained the gift of the devil!”

After those spiteful words were blurted out a dead silence enveloped the room.

“Excuse me?” Steven asked in a cold tone that made many inwardly cringe.

“I suggest you stop playing innocent.” The third-ranked official suggests. “You know quite well about those; if considering present time, ranging from twelve-nineteen… However, those from age groups age’s thirteen-sixteen are the real problem. They were given a type of gene altering depressant meant to make them into merciless assassins; being able to reach a potential with their Pokemon that can’t be humanly reached out by an actual trainer.”

The woman pauses in her words to type into her laptop for a moment.

“The chemicals used to make their serum were all illegal components…” She continued. “Thus, those given that serum are known to bear a highly erratic behavioral pattern. Despite that quirk, they’re capable of going berserk at any moment… This could be a real haphazard to others. Thus earning them the title Experiment-X. X as in limitless; variable…Unknown.”

The third-ranked official didn’t get the expressions she wanted. Instead, she got an entire room of people looking at her dumbly.

“If I may interrupt,” Phoebe cuts the silence. “I think its common knowledge to many about that disastrous happenings years ago. But how could someone like Steven be played apart of this?”

“Indeed.” Drake agrees. “But if I’m not mistaken… Stone, your nineteen correct?”

Steven nods simply.

“Furthermore,” Winona adds. “As champion, Steven Stone holds a lot of this region’s reputation on his shoulders… I may not know him very well personally and he may hold his own little secrets, but I can easily vouch that like Norman, he’s a trustworthy person and deserves his rank in the Pokemon world.”

Since Drake and Phoebe were both Elites and Steven was this region’s reigning Champion she’d let their insolence slide… But Winona was a mere Gym Leader, there’s no way she’s letting someone so lowly try to upstage one who not only utterly outranks her but also writes her paycheck.

“Quite showy today aren’t we Winona?” Tolbot smirks. “Until you get your facts straight: A Pidgey is in no position to give advice to a Fearow.”

“Yes, and a Fearow should never sore to high through a Pikachu gathering.” Roxanne comes to her fellow Gym Leader’s defense. Forcing the third-ranked Official to grit her teeth.

“DID I DIE? OR DOES MY OPINION NO LONGER MATTER?” The Head yells at the top of his lungs. “MR. CHALMERS! MS. TOLBOT!! WHAT IN THE NAME OF THAT IS GOOD ARE YOU TRYING TO PROVE BY ALL THIS… this BROO-HA-HA!?

To shut the raving man up, third-rank Tolbot typed on her keyboard to get on the screen view a listing of those Hoenn Trainers: ages thirteen-sixteen on the giant screen.

The screen made a blinking sound before the entire screen had a picture of May’s trainer ID. The fact that May’s picture appeared left Brawly, Wattson and Roxanne flabbergasted.

Roxanne being the most shocked.

Steven and Norman both sent the emperor’s section of the colosseum harsh looks.

“Oh, I see now everyone no longer wishes to fool around.” The second-ranked official smirks. “Good. Let’s show the whole pasture now shall we?”

With a press of a button, all the screens in the colosseum were filled with every Crop Kid confirmed as a Hoenn Pokemon trainer.

Tolbot tried to further emphasize the situation by enlarging Steven’s trainer I.D.


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